An Exploration of New Media Training and its Impact on Women’s Careers in an Emerging Sector Martha Walker A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Manchester Metropolitan University for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Sociology in the Faculty of Humanities, Law and Social Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University July 2012 This is a declaration to state that this thesis is the candidate’s own work and has not been previously published or submitted in support of any other degree or diploma. Signed: Date: Acknowledgements My thanks go to the individuals who gave their time to be interviewed for this study. This study would not have been possible without your co-operation. A special thank you to my supervisor Dr Katie Milestone for her interest, encouragement and support, and without whom I may not have reached the end of this process. Thank you also to Professor Scott Poynting for taking the time to read my thesis and for his words of wisdom. Lastly, I’d like to thank Atalanta Kernick for her patience and support. Abstract This study explores the impact of women-only new media training on women's everyday lives examining the effect women-only new media training has on their career trajectories, life/work balances, self-esteem as well as their hopes and ambitions for the future. The study examines whether women-only new media training gives women a better understanding of the gender-technology relations at play in the workplace and how this affects their career choices and the decision making process. It looks at the everyday lives of two groups of women currently working in the new media sector, focusing on their individual experiences. One group attended a course entitled Multimedia for Women in the Cultural Industries (MUWIC) at the Women’s Electronic Village Hall (WEVH), a women-only Information and Communication Technology centre. The other group attended other new media courses that were not women-only. The study builds on previous gender and technology studies and adds to both knowledge and theory by exploring the effects of women-only new media training on women’s experiences of working in the new media industry, an emerging sector where the knowledge of women-only training is minimal. The study provides information about training in creative technologies that are seen as crucial to the creative economy and that link has not been explored before. The study’s contribution to knowledge is that it focuses on the views of the women interviewed and is critically located in opposition to current policy initiatives that encourage women into the new media industry with no due consideration to the women who they are trying to attract or the reasons why some women may not be attracted to those workplaces. It builds on past research calling for more information on women's individual experiences of technology and shows how women-only networks can indeed create a much needed space virtually and in real life to transform existing gender roles creating real and lasting change. List of Abbreviations APEL Acquired Prior Experiential Learning Experience CER Centre for Employment Research CIDS Creative Industries Development Service DCMS Department for Culture, Media and Sport EC European Commission EO Equal Opportunities EOC Equal Opportunities Commission EVH Electronic Village Hall ERDF European Regional Development Fund ESF European Social Fund EU European Union NWDA North West Development Agency NOW New Opportunities for Women FE Further Education HE Higher Education ICT Information and Communication Technology IT Information Technology MMU Manchester Metropolitan University MUWIC Multimedia for Women in the Cultural Industries VET Vocational and Education Training WEVH Women’s Electronic Village Hall Table of Contents Chapter 1 .................................................................................................................... 1 1. Introduction............................................................................................................ 1 1.0. Overview ........................................................................................................................1 1.1. Motivation......................................................................................................................6 1.2. Statement of the Problem.............................................................................................7 1.3. Aims and Objectives ...................................................................................................13 1.4. Conclusion.................................................................................................................18 Chapter 2 .................................................................................................................. 19 2. An Overview of the New Media Industry .......................................................... 19 2.0. What is the New Media Sector?.................................................................................19 2.1. The Nature of New Media Work ...............................................................................24 2.2. The New Media Sector in Manchester......................................................................28 2.3. Conclusion ...................................................................................................................33 Chapter 3 .................................................................................................................. 35 3. The WEVH ........................................................................................................... 35 3.0. Introduction.................................................................................................................35 3.1. Women’s EVH Aims and Objectives ........................................................................40 3.2. European Union Programmes ...................................................................................41 3.3. Training Methodology................................................................................................43 3.3.1. Practical Support .....................................................................................................44 3.4. Conclusion ...................................................................................................................47 Chapter 4 .................................................................................................................. 48 4. Literature Survey................................................................................................. 48 4.0. Introduction................................................................................................................48 4.1. Debates on Gender in the Workplace .......................................................................58 4.1.1. Career Decisions.......................................................................................................58 4.1.1.1. Career Influences and Limiting Factors.............................................................65 4.1.1.2. The Work Cycle ....................................................................................................69 4.1.1.3. Networking ............................................................................................................74 4.2. Conflict.........................................................................................................................77 4.2.1. Barriers in the Workplace.......................................................................................79 4.2.2. Post-feminism ...........................................................................................................82 4.3. Training and Education .............................................................................................84 4.3.1. Higher Education.....................................................................................................87 4.3.2. Training Projects .....................................................................................................92 4.3.3. Schools.......................................................................................................................97 4.4. Conclusion ...................................................................................................................98 Chapter 5 ................................................................................................................ 103 5. Methodological Approach and Research Design ............................................ 103 5.0. Introduction...............................................................................................................103 5.1. Feminist Research Methods.....................................................................................104 5.2. The Research Question.............................................................................................110 5.3. Research Methods and Design.................................................................................111 5.3.1. Research User Group ............................................................................................116 5.3.2. Data Collection Techniques ..................................................................................117 5.3.2.1. Design ...................................................................................................................117 5.3.2.2. Interview Schedules