The conquest of technology has always been considered a male domain. With the introduction of machines into the world women were given a lesser opportunity to showcase their enterprise in machinery and men given an upper hand. Most machines to date are operated by men, while women show lack of interest and enthusiasm. In 1960, 13 female pilots were considered to be the best pilots in NASA, contrary to the common notion of men being dominant in the sector. In one way or other, the relation of gender and technology is a contemporary issue in society. This essay seeks to explain the relation between gender and technology and how such relations have negatively affected gender representation.
Gender is defined as the state of being feminine or masculine as constructed socially and culturally. Gender is a dynamic process which change with the changing society and it varies from one community to another. Gender is constructed unconsciously through unspoken rules and regulation passed from one generation to another, at the same time incorporating the social changes taking place in the society.
The construction of gender affects a person personality and body image. The type of diet, dressing and way of talking are greatly influenced by the gender wiring a community has made in a person. Our culture constructs and deconstructs certain feature in us in order to fit its definition of gender as either feminine or masculine (Fox 15).
Most community associates feminist with being clean soft and gently, so most women are expected to take jobs that will bring out this quality while men are expected to take heavy jobs, which entails a lot of strength and are not afraid of dirt. Jobs such as mechanics drivers and farming are considered masculine in most cultures and women who take such jobs are frowned upon. The quest of transforming the society from patriarchal society to gender equality roles have been distributed equally with more women taking jobs that’s were once considered masculine. Technology is therefore a tool for shaping the gender and its roles
Women are wired to associate themselves to be able to undertake simple tasks and less complicated tasks. In academics for instance, the ratio of males and females attempting to take technical subjects is large with the feminine side being fewer than men. Women see themselves as not being competent enough to do technological courses such as computer science medicine and engineering (Fox 49). 20 yrs ago, the percentage of women taking computer science was between 18 to 20 %, compared to now where the percentage is 20 to 22 %; a time where feminists are trying to fight for gender equality.
The female body is also not expected to withstand difficult physical tasks such as the ones associated with engineering. Women tire quickly, hence they cannot spend long hours doing otherwise termed as hard tasks. The representation of female in technological course has limited the chance of women being able to exploit their abilities which might to slow development of technology due to fear of women as implicated by men.
Gender differences are also brought out in the use of machines. In a research conducted by Alison Kidd, women concentrated on the use of machines and devices rather than the model and features of devices. Unlike women, men focus on the model make and features of a machine. For example, in describing a car, a man is likely to say my ‘BMW 205’ while a woman will talk of the color and the use for example my car is yellow double cabin and has a baby seat (Kidd, Alison and Martin 98). We can conclude that women are interested in the use of the device rather than the machine itself, men on the other hand, tend to be interested with the machine and will focus on the detailed description and the features such as the size and brands. Men tend to have the urge to control machine while women want to use the machine to control themselves and their environment.
In an era of change and feminism, it is expected that the perception of technology by both women and men to drastically change since women are now enlightened (Terry, and Melodie 25). The society is changing from a patriarchal society to a gender equality society. The change has encouraged more women to undertake jobs that were one time considered masculine.
Since gender equality is perpetrated women are now able to fully utilize their abilities. Technology has reduced the gender banality; more women are taking careers that were formally considered masculine hence reducing the gender disparity in places of jobs. Gender is constructed in the mind and with advanced technology solution to obstacles is removed. For instance, jobs such as pilots, doctors were considered masculine because women were considered to be home makers, use of machine such as washing machines and dish washers exonerate women from their duties of washing. Gender has been a relief to women than men because women were the ones considered as oppressed.
Works cited
Fox, Mary F. Women, Gender, and Technology. Urbana [u.a.: Univ. of Illinois Press, 2006. Print.
Kidd, Alison L, and Martin B. Cooper. "Man-machine Interface Issues in the Construction and Use of an Expert System." International Journal of Man-Machine Studies. 22.1 (1985): 91-102. Print
Terry, Jennifer, and Melodie Calvert. Processed Lives: Gender and Technology in Everyday Life. London: Routledge, 1997. Print
