Women, Work and Computing

Citation

Woodfield, R. (2002), "Women, Work and Computing", Information Technology & People, Vol. 15 No. 4, pp. 367-368. https://doi.org/10.1108/itp.2002.15.4.367.3

This book is based largely on an ethnography carried out in the Research and Development unit of a large software organisation originally based in the UK, but which later expanded into a worldwide operation with extensive involvement in the US. It explores the social impact of the computer as a pivotal twentieth‐century artefact, focusing particularly on the relationship between women and computers. The academic debate concerning this relationship is characterised in the preface as favouring either optimistic or pessimistic assessments of the current situation and its probable future development. It is argued that on the optimistic side, three discrete waves have emerged in the literature, each underpinned by a distinct rationale. Chapters 1 and 2 examine these schools of thought, prior to the main body of the book which presents the outcomes of the research in five chapters. The book ends with a concluding section followed by a reference list and an index.

Chapter 1 examines the first wave of optimism, the belief that computers would prove to be an empowering (for women) object of indeterminate gender identity. The myth of such a gender‐neutral artefact is then discussed, noting that the feminist canon includes a wealth of evidence to support the view that women’s under‐representation in computing is largely a result of the field’s cultural development. In Chapter 2, the second wave of optimism for women is explored. This school of thought holds that computing has the promise of increased opportunity for women in terms of recruitment and promotion, as women have the right kind of social and communication skills deemed suitable for computing work – empathetic, creators of harmony, co‐operation rather than competition. Thus, women have cause to be optimistic for the future, at least in terms of their relationship with technology. The third wave holds out further cause for optimism, seeing computers as catalysts of change at a deeper level, precipitating change in the gender system itself. The basic claim here is that despite emerging from within the confines of scientific and technical discourses and cultures, the computer has the power to encourage consciousness to contest and undermine the established dualisms which have fundamentally structured Western society: thereby precipitating a genderless future.

The research which follows in subsequent chapters assesses the validity of these extant waves. Chapter 3 provides the methodological foundations for the work, discussing the truth‐claim of ethnographic inquiry, culminating in an “onion” metaphor where different layers are revealed on peeling. The initial contact with the organisation, and the overview of the research strategy are then presented. The next three chapters contain the main body of the project: “Male and female pathways through the unit”, “Hybrids and hierarchies”, and “Understanding the relationship between gender and skill”. These themes are discussed and illustrated through use of quotation, example and observation in standard ethnographic style.

In Chapter 7, “The female future and new subjectivities”, there is a return to the “waves of optimism” theme which underpins the book theoretically. This is followed by a conclusion, “Is the future female?”, in which the outcomes discussed in Chapter 7 are summarised. It is argued that the study points to “… the severely limited capacity of computing to dislocate us from the gendered body and disrupt gender consciousness” (p. 192). Indeed, “gender remains a primary determinant of social life, and one that is not easily subject to either radical or permanent change” (p. 192). Thus, the third wave of optimism might be somewhat over‐enthusiastic. It is also argued that the second wave, concerning the opportunities for women in occupational computing may again be somewhat over‐emphasised, with men continuing to be selected over female colleagues.

There is no recommended audience for this book. As a lecturer in a Business and Management faculty, I would be happy to place it on undergraduate or postgraduate reading lists for management units, particularly those with any technological emphasis, and for information systems units. I would caution that the ethnographic account has a somewhat absolutist tone at times; I would have enjoyed more discussion of critical/postmodern ethnographic approaches in the methodology chapter, along with more reference to other works on IT/IS ethnography, particularly Anderson (1994). I would also note that the work draws largely on the feminist literature, with less emphasis on the social constructivist treatises on technology (although Bijker et al., 1987 is referenced). Nonetheless, an enjoyable read, and a worthwhile purchase.