History of Women in Technology

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• History of Women in Technology
• Female achievements in technoscience

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History of Women in Technology

• historical sociological approach
• technology and the division of labor vs.
  technological determinism
• labor process analysis social groups have
  different interests and resources conflict bw
  different views of the technical requirements of
  the technological artefacts
• technological determinism changes in technology
  are the most important cause of social change
  (technologies are neutral and affect society from
  the outside social location of scientists and
  technologists is irrelevant)

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History of Women in Technology

• historical sociological approach
• gender dimension (labor division approach)
  relations of production are constructed as much
  by gender divisions as class divisions
• industrial technology from its origins reflects
  male power (in addition to capitalist domination)

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History of Women in Technology

• historical sociological approach
• womens exclusion from technology is the
  consequence of the gender division of labor and
  male domination of skilled trades during the
  industrial revolution
• machinery was designed by men in mind
• women had no access to formal technical knowledge
  and resources to participate in invention of new
  technologies (domestic sphere)
• masculine culture of technology gender
  division of labor perpetuated with new
  technologies (integral to the nature of
  innovation)

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History of Women in Technology

• historical sociological approach
• technology constructed socially affirms and
  consolidates relations amongst men
• as shown by the study of adoption of technologies
  in the industrial era
• technical competence as integral to masculine
  gender identity (how do women get involved?)
• technological artefacts (tools) reflect a process
  of negotiation in which technology is constructed
  in a technical, social, political, economic arena
  that replicates existing spheres of activity for
  men and women

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History of Women in Technology

• historical sociological approach
• historical cases empirical research identify
  contexts in which women redesign technology
• technology in the domestic environment
• technology in womens occupations (filing
  systems, telephone)
• women employed in ammunition factories during WWI
• women and office work filing systems
• women employed in shipyards during WWII

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Norman Rockwell Rosie the Riveter
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History of Women in Technology

• How are certain technological artefacts shaped by
  gender interests?
• How is technological change and innovation shaped
  by gender interests?
• What are the roots of technological exclusion of
  women from the technological community?