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Intersectionality theory essays
Challenges for women in engineering
Challenges for women in engineering
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Women’s and gender studies have interdisciplinary views on gender formation and the points of intersection with other subjects of concern such as religion, sexuality, nationality, race, age and class. Gender is not delineated by our analytical methodologies leaning on the social side of human kind and technology as just a constituent surrounding us, but these two have a close range relationship (Bobbie, 2008). Both gender and technology ideologies, as viewed in a historical and a social perspective, are dynamic. Technology, under this perspective, studies not only material things but also choices of humans, their knowhow and creativity, assumptions and the values explored concurrently from the people’s technological activities (Ada, 2008). Gender is simply an identity working as a symbol and a representation with the assumption that both male and female are alike.
Technology advancement and improvements increase the separation between genders, which shows that industrialization and the principles of gender influence each other. Essays in this book, Gender & Technollogy: a reader, emphasize that gender and technology are shaped by each other and jointly with each other. This is best demonstrated in the selected essays from the book and internet readings culls. For example, early automobile industry, gasoline cars were machines considered to be run by men and as they became popular and more reliable, electric cars were introduced in the market for the female counterparts (Dibbel, n d). The underlying reason being that, the electric cars were more convenient, comfortable and visually attractive and this revealed the fact that existence of gender divide has always been there even in the industries considered as masculine.
In Am...
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...tp://www.ieeeghn.org/wiki/index.php/Grace_Murray_Hopper
“Kathleen McNulty” (2008) http://www.ieeeghn.org/wiki/index.php/Kathleen_McNulty
Randall Stross (2008). "What Has Driven Women Out of Computer Science?"
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/16/business/16digi.html
Works Cited
“Ada Lovelace” http://www.ieeeghn.org/wiki/index.php/Ada_Lovelace
Bobbie Johnson (2008). “Online Gamers Play At Swapping Genders”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/mar/05/games.internet
Dibbell Julia (n d). “A Rape in Cyberspace” http://www.juliandibbell.com/articles/a-rape-in-cyberspace/
“Grace Hopper” (2008) http://www.ieeeghn.org/wiki/index.php/Grace_Murray_Hopper
“Kathleen McNulty” (2008) http://www.ieeeghn.org/wiki/index.php/Kathleen_McNulty
Randall Stross (2008). "What Has Driven Women Out of Computer Science?"
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/16/business/16digi.html
Gender, what is the exact meaning of this world in society. When people speak of gender in their conversation, it is most likely a way to distinguish if one’s a male or female. According to Merriam-Webster, gender is describe as a state of being male or female. The importance of the definition offered by Merriam-Webster is the part, “state of being.” Anyone in their own culture/society can define themselves as male or female, with no influence from biological parts. Gender issues have developed into a controversial topic but how did gender history come about? The topic of gender in historical terms could not have started without women, who were discontent about their representation in history, which were none. Green and Troup organized their chapter about Gender History into 4 different topic, explaining the significance of gender in history and analyzing problems in certain research methods.
Stearns, Peter N. Gender In World History. New York: Routledge, 2000. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 22 Feb. 2014.
perspective on the concept, arguing that gender is a cultural performance. Her careful reading of
With the shift from industrial to postindustrial capitalism, our culture has become increasingly concerned with the problem of how to represent subjects in a technologized world. Traditionally, dominant conceptions of the subject have relied on Western metaphysics; naturalized monolithic categories arranged in hierarchic binary oppositions: male/female, human/machine, subject/object, etc. In this system, the discourse of science maintains an isomorphic and mutually reinforcing relationship with the discourse of heterosexuality, since each posits an active, masculine subject and a passive, feminine object. However, the sciences of contemporary capitalism are marked by technologies of reproduction and simulation which transform the world into a web of interconnected, overlapping information codes, asking us to reconsider our “natural” binary distinctions. While these questions have sparked a lively debate concerning technology and the representation of “naturally” gendered bodies, there has been less discussion about the specific ways in which the term “reproduction” links the discourses of science and gender. Reproductive technologies like in vitro fertilization, test tube conception, and genetic manipulation challenge our concepts of human reproduction, transforming bodies from unified organic units to strategic and manipulable systems. Furthermore, these new ways of thinking about human bodies undermine the biological justification for traditional heterosexual gender identities: if all reproduction is redefined as technological, then normative or “natural” gender roles must be reconsidered as well.
The idea and characteristics of gender, relate to the specific differences men and women deliver to society and the unique qualities and roles each demonstrate. The term ‘Femininity’ refers to the range of aspects and womanly characteristics the female represents. The foundation of femininity creates and brings forth many historical and contemporary issues. According to Mary Wollstonecraft in ‘A Vindication of the Rights of Woman’, women’s femininity is considered a flaw of nature. Throughout the paper, history indicates how women are viewed and looked upon in a male dominated world which hinders a woman’s potential, her character, her mind, her dreams, her femininity. The paper particularly stresses the idea of power, the power of man. The historical argument leans towards man’s desire to treat women as inferior to them.
As Lorber explores in her essay “Night to His Day”: The Social Construction of Gender, “most people find it hard to believe that gender is constantly created and re-created out of human interaction, out of social life, and is the texture and order of that social life” (Lorber 1). This article was very intriguing because I thought of my gender as my sex but they are not the same. Lorber has tried to prove that gender has a different meaning that what is usually perceived of through ordinary connotation. Gender is the “role” we are given, or the role we give to ourselves. Throughout the article it is obvious that we are to act appropriately according to the norms and society has power over us to make us conform. As a member of a gender an individual is pushed to conform to social expectations of his/her group.
Throughout Gendered Worlds sociologists argue that gender and sex are socially constructed as opposed to being innate. The authors present evidence in regards to history, biology, and contemporary viewpoints using day-to-day examples. Although alternative viewpoints may argue that through biological perspectives, gender and sex are innate characteristics through deeper examination it can be determined that gender and sex are truly socially constructed.
“Father Knows Best”, a popular sitcom in the 1950s, was a program where the archetypal father’s wisdom was solomonic and his judgment was left unquestioned. A patriarchal social hierarchy was maintained in the idealized post-war family. The 1950s in the United States were the golden age of masculinity, as books like The Modern Woman: The Lost Sex, to decree motherhood as the duty and civic responsibility of women, became best sellers (Rhode, 1947). Luckily, the United States has unshackled themselves from the imposing views of the mid-20th century, now fully accepting female leaders and workers as contributors to the economy. Yet, there is still a struggle and the modern mindset remains gilded. Gender can act as a divider. Science lends itself to the study of the human body, of the mind, and of human habits. The distinctive tendencies of men and women, as well as the completely different biological makeup, establish the two sexes. Yet women have barriers, invisible to the naked eye, that discourage them from participating in various things, things that are seen as male dominant fields, such as engineering (a current issue in the United States) (only 17% to 19% of engineering degrees go to women) (Catalyst). The professional world of America is vying for more female presence in particular spheres of influence. Gender roles have been exuded and exhausted during history (as seen in shows like “Father Knows Best”), in turn creating mental blockades for the vast majority of women, ultimately limiting their social and economic capabilities. This is a global issue. In some nations, women have become the “lesser” of society, not able to overcome sexism that is sometimes violent and aggressive (Berg, 17). The spectrum of gender inequality ...
There are a few components that go along with technology. There are a lot of pros to technology, but what else is it good for? Many people think that technology is bad, but at this time of life, the good always outweighs the bad.
With the change of the society from the primitive period to technological globalized world, people tend to believe that men and women have the equal rights in workplace or domestic life. But it does not happen so. Women have always been the second class to the man because of the inequality in wages, workplace and domestic life. Women movement started after the late 19th century and early 20th century but the involvement of women in the political events in the past goes far beyond the history. Most of the chronological event of the history is written in the male’s perspective. That’s why feminist historians tend to focus only women in women’s history.
Gender and sex have been defined by sociologists as two different things. Sociologists have defined the term ‘sex’ as relating to the biological differences between men and women based on their anatomy, whereas the term ‘gender’ relates to the social and cultural differences that men and women display (Bruce and Yearly 2006). Although the term gender has a biological basis, it is important to note that it is the social and cultural factors that shape the way gender is defined (Connell 2009). These social and cultural factors encompass people’s self representation, their social representation and how they are viewed by others from a sociological point of view (Rocha-Sanchez and Diaz-Loving 2005). These are the definitions for sex and gender that I will be using during the course of this essay.
In many cases, women’s achievements are measured according to male oriented standards. I would like to argue with a more diverse approach to this cause. If humanity is comprised of both men and women, and we are equally dependent on each other for humanity’s survival, why are men and women not viewed as equals? These old attitudes are drilled into us from birth. If boys were taught mutual respect as they grew up, gender equality becomes a natural way of life. In the same way girls would need to be taught to set high goals; that they can reach as high as humanly possible. Unfortunately, typically male values and traditions have, over time, shaped the culture in Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) fields. This has created, in many ways, a hostile learning and working environment for women. From time immemorial, women have been regarde...
In contemporary society, many social issues involving gender still prevail today and influence many of our everyday life choices, from what one wears, the jobs one pursues or how one may think. In this essay, the issues being discussed involve the importance associated with gender, essentialism and deviance around gender inequality.
Wharton (2005:21) views gender as a ‘system of social practices’ which gives rise to gender distinctions and maintains it. What Wharton wants to say is that gender involves the creation of both diffe...
Consider a situation where a family is sitting at the dining table, the son pull out his iPhone, connects to Wi-Fi, and starts chatting with his friends on “Facebook”. The father has a Samsung Galaxy S4 in his hands and he is reading the newspaper online and using “Whatsapp” messenger while having his meal. The mother is busy texting her friends. They are all “socializing” but none of them has spoken as much as a single word to each other. This situation can be commonly seen nowadays. Technology has brought us closer and squeezed the distances but in reality, it has taken us away from each other. The rapid growth of technology has brought about significant changes in human lives, especially in their relationships. The latest technologies have turned this world into a “global village” but the way humans interact with each other, the types of relations and their importance has changed a lot. The advancement in technology has brought us close but has also taken us apart.