Hilde Corneliussen

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The multi-dimensional stories of the gendered
users of ICT
Hilde Corneliussen
SKIKT Researchers Conference 8th April 2002
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The multi-dimensional storiesof the gendered
users of ICT

• Hilde Corneliussen
• Department of Humanistic Informatics
• University of Bergen
• Ph.D. project sponsored by SKIKT, the Norwegian
  Research Council

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Ph. D. Project - working title

• Relations between people and information and
  communication technology How does gender affect
  these relations?

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Chapter contents

• Empirical material
• Researcher or lecturer
• Technology research
• Gender theory
• Discourse theory
• Analysis of examples

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Empirical material

• Three groups of computer students
• Interviews
• Observations
• Email communication

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Doing research at home

• To become a visible researcher
• Positions activated in the research context
• Researcher
• Lecturer
• Woman

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Technology research

• Social constructivism.
• Silverstone, Hirsch and Morleys theory of
  domestication.
• Computers as cultural artefacts.

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Gender theory

• Joan Scott gender is a constitutive element of
  social relationships based on perceived
  differences between the sexes.
• Gender is a historical and social construction
  that gives directions to men and women living in
  society.

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Simone de Beauvoir

• a woman defines herself through the way in
  which she makes something of what the world makes
  of her.

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Research questions

• How does gender make a difference in computing?
• 1. How is gender perceived in relation to
  computing?
• 2. How do men and women deal with the perceived
  gender?

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Analytical concepts

• Inspired by Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffes
  theory of discourse
• A discourse is a socially constructed meaning.
• To use the theory of discourse as a method means
  to explore how the meaningful elements of a
  discourse are tied together in specific ways in
  order to produce a specific meaning.

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Subject position

• A discursive point of identification.
• We construct our identity through identification
  with available subject positions.

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Male student

• When I went to junior secondary school and
  perhaps in secondary school, I could see a
  difference between boys and girls in relation to
  computing. as a boy, I have been engaged in
  computing ever since I went to primary school.
• In my circle, girls have always been a little bit
  interested in computing. Perhaps not as much as
  us boys.

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Female student

• Because I dont have a brother, my sister and I
  had to fill that gap by learning practical
  tasks that traditionally most often are performed
  by men. Otherwise I am a fearless type of
  person I think that all these are good
  prerequisites for working with computing.

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Expectations

• the female students have a lot of knowledge
  about what they are doing.
• (Male student)
• the men who were present did not know more than
  I did.
• (Female student)
• The observations are formulated with reference to
  their idea of gender and computing.

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Results so far

• Gender exists as cultural assumptions and
  expectations.
• Gender exists as potentially masculine and
  feminine associations and subject positions.
• The hegemonic discourses about computing still
  seem to favour men.

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Subject positions in ICT?
Man hes got a clue..
Womanshe hasnt got a clue