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Using data from the March and October CPS, the author investigates the effect of computers on the demand for female workers. A model illustrates that computers, by changing skill requirements and the conditions of work--de-emphasizing physical skill--should favor women even if women have no advantage over men in using computers or in acquiring computer skills. Decompositions of the growth in women's employment and cross-industry-occupation regressions indicate that increases in computer use can account for over half of the growth in demand for female workers. Consistent with the hypothesis that differences in the physical requirements of jobs are responsible for these effects, increases in computer use have the greatest effect among skilled blue-collar workers and workers with less than a college education. The increase in computer use may contribute to an apparent substitutability between highly skilled women and less skilled men found in other research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Popular portraits of hacking have often relied on histories of hobbyist engineering culture rooted in tales of middle-class, college-educated, and often male technologists. Since 2012, members of a mother-operated hackerspace in the East Bay of San Francisco, California, have countered these narratives, revealing hackerspaces as sites with which to refigure masculine claims to innovation and progress. Drawing on critical craft studies and studies of therapeutic culture, this article examines the workings of Mothership HackerMoms and its series of workshops called Failure Club, a project motivated by a desire to support women’s creative pursuits with the onset of motherhood. By integrating feminist legacies of craftwork with the centrality of failure — exposing personal failures and failures to transform hacker cultures — members not only energize new modes of hacking activity but also hack the very ontology of hacking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many feel that Computer programming should be an essential part of the curriculum for a degree in Computer Information Systems. Additionally females are not going into computer careers in strong numbers and thus are not exposed to coding courses. This paper surveyed students taking introductory computer programming concerning their views on learning to program as well the role females play in computer technology. Most of the males surveyed reported that females are a better fit in fields such as nursing and that nothing extra should be done to attract them to computer and technology. As a contradiction, they reported valuing their female instructors more than their male counterparts. There have been a number of programs instituted to show females they belong in computer and technology fields. These programs must also include the education of men as well. Boys must see that the girls can do it too. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores certain possible reasons behind the uneasy relationship between women and technology. The cultural identification of technology with masculinity has been well documented through previous research. However, we feel it is useful to revisit this complex relationship through the scope of a more subtle distinction between ‘users’ and ‘connoisseurs’, and the struggle over power, which revolves around a specific form of hegemonic masculinity. We draw on interviews that examine students’ experiences, emotions, and statements about gender, technology, mathematics, and education, and we try to offer an understanding of the ways women negotiate their position within the dominant discourse about computing and mathematics. Our analysis employs post-structuralist discourse theory. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A bibliography on the subject of ICT is presented, which includes the books "Recoding Gender: Women's Changing Participation in Computing" by Janet Abbate, "The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains" by Nicholas Carr, and the "Evil Media" by Matthew Fuller and Andrew Goffey.

This paper examines gender differences related to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) literacy using two valid and internally consistent measures with eighth grade students ( N = 1,513) from Florida public schools. The results of t test statistical analyses, which examined only gender differences in demonstrated and perceived ICT skills, indicate significant differences in all areas in favor of females. Females had higher factor scores in perception measures for Frequency of Computer Use, Perceived ICT Skills, and Attitudes toward Computers. In addition, female students had significantly higher scores on all six sections from the Student Tool for Technology Literacy, a performance-based assessment. These results counter many empirical research studies that show males generally perform better with ICT skills and have overall better attitudes toward computers than their female counterparts. However, when adding predictors to the model and using multilevel modeling statistical methods, findings indicate that gender was no longer significant. These findings question the importance of the gender differences related to ICT skills that were found with previous statistical examinations. Using more advanced statistical methods to answer research questions pertaining to ICT skills is important in order to determine which factors have the greatest potential for intervention programs that focus on developing equitable ICT skills and career choices for all students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main question that this article attempts to answer is: Why women do not develope software? The article presents five concentric rings which when combined make up our hypotheses regarding how to build female gender segregation in software production processes. We will first discuss the relationship between gender and technology in general by focusing on women early socialization. Second, we will analyze the first approaches to digital technology in particular. The third level corresponds to puberty and in it we explore the emotional dynamics that are established with respect to their peer groups who devote many hours to computers. The fourth level analyzes the gender gap in university programmes related to computer science. The fifth and final addresses the gender representations that those who hire informatic workers have. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Past research in gender differences in the overall Internet use has been contradictory. Some asserted men used it more than women, while others asserted there were no gender difference. Both camps concluded that men and women differed in their motivation and utilization of time spent online. The purpose of the present research was to take a contemporary look at these gender differences. Using an online survey, we asked participants about their experiences with multiple forms of mediated communication: social networking sites, e-mail, video calls, instant messaging, texting, and phone calls. Our results indicated that women, compared to men, are generally more frequent mediated communication users. Compared to men, women prefer and more frequently use text messaging, social media, and online video calls. These results suggest that the nature of mediated social interaction is changing. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article discusses female contribution to the development of the digital media in the context of Pattie Maes, Professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the 1990s. According to the author, Maes created software, matchmaking programs, the RINGO program, and the online social network Firefly. The topics of postfeminism, autonomy, and neoliberalism are also discussed.

Experts agree that computers and computing play an important role in education. Since the 1980s there has been a debate about gender as it relates to computers and education. However, results regarding gender differences concerning computer use in education are not consistent. In particular there is little work done in China on this issue. Therefore, the overall goal of this paper is to demonstrate whether girls and boys can gain equally from computer-based education in China's elementary schools. To do so we analyze results from three randomized field experiments of a Computer Assisted Learning (CAL) program and One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) program. The field experiments are carried out in three kinds of schools: Shannxi rural public schools; Qinghai minority public schools; and Beijing migrant schools. Although CAL and OLPC have been considered cost effective means to improve learning outcomes, it is not known whether the programs impact girls differently than boys. Our analysis shows that, in fact, there were no differences between female and male students in either the improvement in standardized math test scores or Chinese test scores with either the CAL or OLPC programs. Our study suggests that among disadvantaged students in China's rural areas and migrant communities, there is reason to believe that computer based learning can benefit both girls and boys equally. This finding has possible implications for China's ongoing efforts to integrate computers and computing technologies into the nation's underserved schools. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

As we live in a culture where 'everything can be commodified, measured and calculated and can be put in the competitive market for sale, detached from its roots and purpose,' there is need to redefine our humanness in terms of the changing nature of science, technology, and their deeper impact on human life. More than anything else, it is Information Technology that now has tremendous influence on all spheres of our life, and in a sense, IT has become the destiny of our life. And this is where the real trauma lies. On the one hand, our being in the cyberspace opens up new and exciting horizons before us; on the other hand, we ourselves are changed and transformed in the process. The virtual world transforms human users to a problem-solver technocrat. The speed at which Information Technology is changing the way that youth around the world are socializing, playing, and researching, it is the common practice now for a 15-year old to go home and update their MySpace page, followed by playing online games, or looking up the new trendy YouTube video. These forms of technology are often the topic of adolescent conversations as YouTube, blogs, e-magazines, Face book, MySpace, iPhones, and iPods dominate the commercial and social networking market. Some researchers refer to this phenomenon as ubiquitous technology drawing attention to the fact that ubiquitous technology acknowledges the speedy adoption of day-to-day use of technology as a global phenomenon. In this background, this article aims at revisiting the question, 'What is to be human in the era of Ubiquitous Technology?' From a feminist perspective, one can still redefine the boundaries between femininity and masculinity in the context of IT and its impact on our lifestyle and thought style. While examining the ways in which our definitions of 'woman' and 'man' are shifting in this new communication environment, Elizabeth Lane Lawley observes that we cannot fix a single center from which the experiences of women with computer and communication systems can be viewed and that such fixity would only serve to deepen inequities rather than exposing and removing them. She finally submits, 'It is possible to use new theoretical perspectives on the shifting boundaries of gender definitions to rethink a previously deterministic view of the effect of new technologies on society, and particularly the effect of those technologies on women. While the gradual absence of the subject from the field of Artificial Intelligence leads to the invisibility of feminine care along with social and relational nature of man, some feminists dismiss the biological sex distinction on such issues and encourage females to 'imitate man' and to become more aggressive, assertive and dominating' (Lawley ). What are the possible impacts of this new technology on the so-called feminine traits of our human nature? How far our definitions of 'woman' and 'man' are shifting in this new communication environment? This is what this article seeks to explore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research shows that female and male students in undergraduate computer science programs view computer culture differently. Female students are interested more in the use of computers than in doing programming, whereas male students see computer science mainly as a programming activity. The overall purpose of our research was not to find new definitions for computer science culture but to see how male and female students see themselves involved in computer science practices, how they see computer science as a successful career, and what they like and dislike about current computer science practices. The study took place in a mid-sized university in Ontario. Sixteen students and two instructors were interviewed to get their views. We found that male and female views are different on computer use, programming, and the pattern of student interactions. Female and male students did not have any major issues in using computers. In computing programming, female students were not so involved in computing activities whereas male students were heavily involved. As for the opinions about successful computer science professionals, both female and male students emphasized hard working, detailed oriented approaches, and enjoying playing with computers. The myth of the geek as a typical profile of successful computer science students was not found to be true. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historically, the positioning of technology and expertise has been an antithesis to girls and women. Much literature has focused on understanding and responding to the perceived differences between boys' and girls' access to, use of, and understanding of various forms of technology. In a recent qualitative study I conducted, eight teenaged technological experts (three of whom were girls) were observed and interviewed about their use of home computers and understanding of technological expertise. In regard to this heterogeneous New Zealand group, the data suggested that, although the trajectories toward technological expertise were gendered, gender did not limit the teenage girls in their acquisition of expertise. This article explores and challenges dichotomous debates about technology, gender, expertise, and then focuses on the understandings of computers as a subject in schools and as a future career. Through this discussion, the article demonstrates that the participants were aware of the gendered stereotypes surrounding girls and technology, yet dismissed them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies in the 1980s showed that advertising images of computers were gendered, with women relatively less represented, and shown with less empowered roles, problems or presented as sexual objects. This paper uses a mix of content and interpretative analysis to analyse current imagery in consumerist and professional society publications. It reveals the present variation and complexity of the iconography of computers and people across different domains of representation, with the continuation of gender bias in subtle forms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study investigated whether stereotype threat can influence women’s attributions of failure in a computer task. Male and female college-age students (n =86, 16–21 years old) from Germany were asked to work on a computer task and were hinted beforehand that in this task, either (a) men usually perform better than women do (negative threat condition), or (b) women usually perform better than men do (positive condition), or (c) they received no threat or gender-related information (control group). The final part of the task was prepared to provide an experience of failure: due to a faulty USB-memory stick, completion of the task was not possible. Results suggest a stereotype threat effect on women’s attribution of failure: in the negative threat condition, women attributed the failure more internally (to their own inability), and men more externally (to the faulty technical equipment). In the positive and control conditions, no significant gender differences in attribution emerged. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Working at a computer is part of a large number of jobs and has been associated with upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders and back pain. The study evaluated the effects of a board attachment on upper extremity and back. The findings are mixed in that the board may have a positive effect in preventing back pain, but may be detrimental to upper extremities. Effect of a desk attachment board on upper extremity and trunk posture, and muscle activity was assessed in women video display terminal users. Participants completed a standard 20-min computer task under two conditions: 1) using a standard desk; 2) using a desk attachment board designed to support the forearms. Bilateral electromyography of the trapezius, multifidus and longissimus muscles and the right anterior deltoid and forearm extensor muscles was recorded. 3-D trunk and upper extremity posture was monitored. Participants were tested before and after 2 weeks of familiarisation with the board in their workplace. Perceived tension and discomfort were recorded before and after use of the board. Use of the board tended to increase muscle activity in the right trapezius and forearm extensor and to decrease muscle activity in the back. Perceived tension in the low back decreased slightly with the board. The board may be useful in reducing tension in the low back during computer work, but may adversely affect the upper extremities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low and shrinking numbers of women in higher computer science education is a well-known problem in most Western countries. The dominant Western perception of the relationship between gender and computer science codes the latter as "masculine," and the low number of women is seen at least partly as an effect of that coding. Malaysia represents a different case. There are large numbers of women in computer science, and computer science is not perceived as "masculine." Rather, it is deemed as providing suitable jobs and good careers for women. This reflects an understanding of gender where femininities are constructed by association to office work, commonly recognized as a woman-friendly space because it is seen as more safe and protected than, for example, construction sites and factories. The findings suggest that gender and computer science may be more diversely coproduced than commonly believed in Western research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article documents the existence of a novel form of deviant behavior, called money slavery, which utilizes the Internet. This practice involves males (called "money slaves") making monetary payments to women (called "money mistresses") they contact on-line in exchange for being humiliated, degraded, and even blackmailed. The data for this study were gathered over a four-year period from Web pages, newsgroups, message boards, and discussion forums. The results indicate that participants utilize various social control strategies in an attempt to prevent the ample opportunities for fraud associated with this practice. Moreover, participants sometimes offer accounts (Scott and Lyman 1968) in an apparent attempt to manage stigma. These findings are considered in the framework of postmodern culture, and social learning theory is offered as a possible explanation of this behavior. The significance of this phenomenon is also examined, and the possible real-life ramifications of these men's behavior are also considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gender and connectivity initiatives intended to promote development assume that the Internet can have a significant impact on the careers and lives of women. It is important to test this assumption, given the prior research that establishes the educational and organisational limitations on women in professional careers, which increase the likelihood of restricted networks. The initial quantitative research available on the impact of the Internet is based on data from 2000. It shows improved access to the Internet for both men and women, but no evidence for Internet effects on productivity or professional networking. This study employs recent qualitative data from scientists in Kerala, which modify these conclusions and provide some grounds for optimism. The domestic context, so important for women in a patrifocal society, has created conditions for change, as the interest in children's education and the presence of home computers has begun a process of 'circumvention" of gender roles that demands further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates four different inclusion strategies used to recruit women to computer science: achieving a critical mass, educational reform, redefining the gendered symbolism of computer science and changing the content of the discipline. The relationship between and the relative importance of these four strategies are explored by looking at the extensive and successful Women and Computing Initiative (WCI) that was run by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), starting in 1996, to recruit and retain more women in computer science. The findings suggest that a direct effort to increase the relative number of women is the most important strategy. While raising the number of women recruited seems to affect the symbolic perception of computer science, this effect is difficult to achieve through attempts to directly change the symbolic image of the discipline. In addition, a substantial increase in the number of women appears to cause an improvement in their learning environment, probably because minority problems such as too much visibility and unwanted attention became less prominent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the feminist research which looks into the role of new information and communication technologies to the global feminist political economic analysis of women. The study provides essential inputs in the understanding of the global feminist political economic break down in relation to the existing women's body of knowledge. This forms an important part of today's global economy and the expansion of global capitalism. In the political economic perspective, it examines gender ideology of wealth concentration, global circulation of money, ideas and material goods, the exploitation of labor and images, and the women's participation in the information society.

The under-representation and poor retention of women in computing courses at Victoria University is a concern that has continued to defy all attempts to resolve it. Despite a range of initiatives created to encourage participation and improve retention of females in the courses, the percentage of female enrollments has declined significantly in recent years, from 32% in 1994 to 18% in 2004, while attrition rates soared to 40% in 2003. A recent research study investigated these negative trends with respect to gender equity in computing courses: of interest was the possibility of gender bias in the learning environment and its impact on female attrition rates. Focus groups and surveys involving computing students of both genders were used as data collection tools in the study. The overall findings from the focus groups were rather surprising, as they yielded no strong indication of gender bias in the learning environment of the computing course; this applied to the logistical arrangements, academic staff, pedagogical methods, and course content. The thesis that the existence of gender bias in the learning environment contributes to high attrition rates of females in computing courses was not sufficiently supported. While the fact that students, both male and female, found their learning environment gender neutral was comforting, the realization that reasons other than gender bias drove females away from the computing course was not. High attrition rate of females remains the reality. Possible explanations of this phenomenon were suggested by the focus groups, and the search for confirmation of these indications and discovery of other contributing factors continued. The results of a subsequent survey confirmed several of the focus groups findings: the lack of gender balance in the course was considered immaterial, as was the gender of the lecturers and tutors; the course curriculum was deemed gender neutral; and, overall difficulty of the course and overall satisfaction with the course were rated similarly by both male and female students. Some of the survey results contradicted findings of the focus groups, notably the reported equal access to computers in laboratories and group-work unaffected by the gender of group members. Moreover, although female students did not regard the under-representation of females in the course as a problem, they singled out their fellow female students as the vital source of both academic and personal help, thereby reiterating the need for female peers in the course. The first year, particularly the first semester, of the course emerged as the 'make or break' period especially for female students. Not only was it an important period with respect to adjustment to the course but also it was a period most likely to influence most female students' decisions about quitting the course. It appears that staff encouragement mattered little in dissuading female students from quitting, but the support of fellow students was important. Transition into the course, rather than gender bias, was identified as a possible factor contributing to high attrition rates of females in computing courses. Not only did the female students take considerably longer to settle into the course - up to six months, but they also were most likely to drop out of the course after the first year of study. This is of concern for two reasons: firstly, because of the large number of students contemplating dropping out; and secondly, because the role of the academic staff in persuading those students to stay was regarded as largely insignificant by the students. This study provides some explanation of the high attrition of females in computing courses, but the challenge still remains to develop effective strategies to halt this negative trend. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Leslie Regan Shade examines the tensions between the feminization of the Internet, versus feminist uses of the Internet. In her survey of how women are using the Internet she shows that women are using the Internet effectively for their empowerment but she warns that the right to communicate could be overshadowed by the commercialization of the Internet for the consumer culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes an integrative approach to Web site content design for girls. Gender gap in relation to programming and software design; Focusing of content on learning about computer design; Increases in the treatment group's interest in, sense of relevancy of and motivation to use computers compared to a control group.

Presents excerpts from the book 'Unlocking the Clubhouse: Women in Computing.'

Numerous studies show that women have less favorable attitudes toward using computers and that they use computers less often than men. However, most studies on gender differences in computer work failed to relate to the large body of research on gender differences in math and science. The study reported here tests whether the model of achievement-related choices, which was originally developed for the math domain, can be used to explain gender differences in computer work. A causal sequence deduced from the model was tested using path analysis. According to the results, the intensity of computer use can be predicted from the computer-specific self-concept of ability that was effected by computer-specific attributions. Gender differences emerged on the means of these variables. Furthermore, the intended choice of computers in a specific situation could be effectively explained by computer-specific self-concept of ability. This effect was mediated by the expectation of success and the perception of the value of computers. Values also affected expectations. For this causal sequence, gender differences emerged only with regard to self-concept of ability and expectancy. Supporting the assumptions of the model of achievement-related choices, the path coefficients did not vary as a function of gender. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper addresses ways in which theorizing gender may be important in forming an understanding of the topic of emancipation, which is central to the new critical information systems (IS) based on the thinking of Habermas. After briefly discussing some problems with current research on gender and IS the paper argues that appropriate feminist theory may be useful in augmenting our understanding of foundational issues such as emancipation. The development of feminist philosophy and epistemology is briefly introduced. Habermas' 'ideal speech situation' is problematized in relation to feminist writing on male and female communication juxtaposed with recent research in computer-mediated communications. The paper continues by exploring the concept of emancipation through feminist epistemology and it closes with a preliminary consideration of how these concerns may be applied to critical IS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies the use of computers among elderly women in the United States. Older women's experiences with new technologies; Case studies of older women's use of technology; Perceptions of stigma linked with both assistive and new media technologies.

Focuses on the revolutions of computer knowledge systems in Africa and in the United States. Effects of the imposition of Western-style formal education on Africans and increasing requirements of computer literacy on women in the United States; Impact of computers on employment by age and gender; Implications of the computer knowledge revolution for the structure of employment of women and the elderly.

Debates the point that computers and virtual spaces contribute to an ultimate mode of enframing and recentering of the subject, be it male or female, or of any identity. Status of the virtual in cyberspace with its relations to the actual and real in the context of criticisms levelled against female cyberspace ideologists.

In this study the authors argue that women situated within a masculine domain like computing can be seen as taking various positions within that domain rather than a position based on a gender-specific pattern. The authors' work is based on a conventional computer science course and students' experiences in a specific unit taken in year one. Through a deconstruction of aspects of this course, the authors analyse the subject positions of some of the women involved and show that the commonality in their relationship to computing is based upon a standpoint grounded in their complex positioning as both insiders and outsiders in that domain. This standpoint enables them to engage with 'the rules' in various ways. A woman tutor takes a position committed to providing access to students by attempting to integrate practice and abstraction, and the women students develop alternatives to the given rules, i.e. approaches to programming which work for them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the significant demographic changes in the work force projected by the year 2000 and beyond, little empirical research has been made on the obstacles faced by women in the field of computing. Since career advancement prospects are especially salient for IS employees, and IS workers are considered a distinct occupational group, it is important to understand the career advancement prospects of IS employees. This study examines the impact of gender on job performance evaluations, job performance attributions, and career advancement prospects. The results show that there are no significant gender differences in job performance ratings; however, women are perceived to have less favorable chances for promotion than men. We found that job performance ratings play an important role in influencing an individual's chances for advancement. We also found that the effect of job performance on attributions is stronger among males than females. Additionally, we found that while the effect of job performance ratings on career advancement prospects is stronger among males, the effect of attributions on career advancement prospects is stronger among females. Suggestions regarding areas for future research are offered, and implications for human resource management are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research on gender-specific differences with respect to positive attitudes toward, educational opportunities in, home use of, and valuation of technology, in particular computers, among Austrian school children. To the author's expressed dismay, few of the girls saw computers as more than playthings and few females could be described as computer "freaks" compared with male counterparts.

The article discusses the results of two surveys intended to provide an empirical base of the anecdotal evidence that technology is a male domain. The first survey seeks to provide information concerning the differences in perceptions and attitudes between males and females of school age towards computers and video games. While the other one evaluates the differences between males and females in attitudes towards computing among a highly select achievement-oriented group of college freshmen. The two studies add to a growing body of evidence that boys and girls, men and women, react differently to computers. The results of the surveys point to the need for more studies regarding the interrelationship among specific computer activities of males and females at different developmental stages.

The articles in this special issue present the first empirical evidence regarding the determinants and cognitive consequences of sex-related differences in computer use by adults and children. Results indicate that males use computers more than females for programming and game-playing, but not more for other computer applications, and that cognitive effects are similar for both sexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]