‘Technology is a male privilege; women participate on those terms.’ Discuss the ways in which technology is gendered.

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Annotation #1 [access it by clicking here]

Lohan, M & Faulkner, W 2004, ‘Masculinities and Technologies’, Journal of Men and Masculinities, vol 6, no. 4, viewed 11 September 2010,http://www.studioincite.com/PNT/men_masculinity.pdf.

This article discusses the reasons why both feminist technology studies and masculinities studies need to include masculities and technologies in their research. As it deals with the theme of technology and gender, it can be said that it is relevant to my guiding question. The authors state that both technology and gender are socially constructed and in order to completely understand one, we have to comprehend the other. It argues that feminists technology studies have found that technologies are gendered. One of the feminist mentioned is Cynthia Cockburn who argues that in her study of printing, one could see how technology is not gender-neutral. Her study showed how precise design choices such as the introduction of linotype technology with a keyboard different from the QWERTY keyboard, excluded women from entering high status and well paid jobs. This shows that gender inequality also exists in technological artefacts. The article outlines that the main reason why technology is seen as masculine is because men have placed themselves in key technological roles such as machine tooling and metalworking, while women have not.

The article is written by Dr. Maria Lohan and Dr. Wendy Faulkner. This article is highly credential because both of these women are lecturers at University and have reserved outstanding expert recognition. The article was published in 2004 in a journal article called Masculinities and Technologies. The information provided in this article will be very useful for my essay because it outlines how technology and gender are interlinked and how they shape one another. The article also provides a reference list, so the information offered can be verified.

Annotation #2 [access it by clicking here]

Gill, R & Grint, K 1995, The gender-technology relation: contemporary theory and research, viewed on 12 September 2010,
http://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=RQ5i58fSOioC&oi=fnd&pg=PP11&ots=YmwvVC2jOL&sig=XQeSJhcVYjjRFxCANtfb3ty1CFo#v=onepage&q&f=false.

Annotation 2 is an e-book which I found on Google scholar. The authors explore the relationship between gender and technology. They begin by examining the widely held notion that technologies are masculine, which links with my guiding question quite well. By stating that ‘technologies are masculine’, it can be said that technologies are gendered. The e-book also offers three positions on gender and technology. There is the eco-feminist viewpoint, liberal feminist perspective and also a historical view which argues technology as a masculine culture. I can use these three perspectives in my essay to inform the readers about the different aspects of gender and technology. The liberal feminists argue that technology itself is neutral; the way in which men and women are placed in relation to it causes it to be seen as gendered. I can use the liberal feminist perspective to argue that technology is neutral and not necessarily gendered.

The book is credential because it is written by authors who are professors at University. They have both written a variety of scholarly journals and books. Although some pages are omitted from the e-book, the information that is published is quite relevant to my guiding question and so therefore is quite useful. The book was published in 1995 by Taylor & Francis Publications.

Annotation #3 [access it by clicking here]

‘Exceptional women? Gender and technology in U.K. higher education, Technology and Society Magazine, vol. 18, no. 4, Winter 1999-2000, pp. 21-27, http://ieeexplore.ieee.org.ezproxy.library.uwa.edu.au/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=808845&isnumber=17517&tag=1.

This is an online magazine article which deals with the construction of gender-technology relations in UK’s higher education system. The author states that technology has always been associated with boys and men. Women have often been presented at the ‘other’ to technology and have been told that “real technology” is not for them. By this statement, one can already see how technology is gendered and is applicable to my guiding question. Henwood explores how if one takes a liberalist view on the gender-technology relationship, then they can see that neither gender nor technology is problematized. The problem arises when someone takes a constructivist view. This is quite interesting I can state in my essay how different view point can determine whether technology is gendered or not. The constructivist perspective understands technology as a cultural or social construct which entails a reflection of the cultural norms and social relations that are dominant in the institutions. The institutions are the one that develop, design and launch latest technologies into the society. As the society is patriarchal, the “masculinity” of technology is emphasized.

This article is written by Flis Henwood who is a professor at the University of Brighton. She has received a number of qualifications in the social informatics field and has published a range of articles which emphasize on technology itself. This is a credential article because it has been written by a scholarly professional. The author gives a neutral approach to the issue of gender and technology and is not bias.

Annotation #4 [access it by clicking here]

Lerman, NE., Oldenziel, R & Mohun, A 2003, Gender & technology: a reader, viewed 13 September 2010, http://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=SvGxLNnMwl8C&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=gender+and+technology&ots=lwVE5ri2Oz&sig=BM3ra0-Jpc0FzKyx00CoF7NbbKk#v=onepage&.

This is an e-book which I found while searching on Google scholar. The authors outline the same issue that was raised on the other articles I found. It states that gender and technology are closely related and they both shape each other. Gender shapes the way in which we observe and use technology, while technology shapes our idea of gender. As the information has been repeated by many scholars I can say that it is accurate and I can use it in my essay. The authors also provide a clear definition of ‘technology’ and ‘gender’ which I believe can be quite useful for my essay. It can help the readers understand what I mean by the two terms. The authors make another interesting point by differentiating between ‘masculine technology’ and ‘feminine technology’. This differentiation causes technology to be gendered.

The e-book has been written by authors who are lecturers at University. They have published numerous books and articles before. All of them have reserved tremendous recognition in their field of work, so it can be said that this e-book is highly credential. The book was published in 2003, so the information it provides can still be considered relevant. Although I cannot access all the pages, the information accessible is quite useful and can be applied to my guiding question.

Annotation #5 [access it by clicking here]

Turmel, W 2010, Are Technology and Evolution Eliminating Gender Gaps?, viewed on 13 September 2010, http://www.bnet.com/blog/virtual-manager/are-technology-and-evolution-eliminating-gender-gaps/427.

This is the CBS Interactive Business Network website which I found while searching for websites on gender and technology. Although this website does not relate to my guiding question, I still found it quite useful because it raised the question of how technology is eliminating gender gaps. It argues that technology is making the experience of women and men more similar than before. It does not offer much information on how technology is getting rid of the gender bias, so I will need to do more research on that topic, when I write my essay.

Wayne Turmel is a connected manager on the website. Although he has written various articles for the website, I do not think this website is credential because Wayne is not a scholarly expert or a professor at University. But I feel the point he raise about technology eliminating gender gap is quite interesting and I can use it in my essay.