Fourth Posting:-Summarizing Articles

Women & ICT

Stepping through the research and interpretation implications of each framework, Sue Rosser develops a rich set of insights and questions around an examination of three areas: women in the technological workforce, women as users of technology, and women and technology design. Four authors deal specifically with educational implications and workforce participation in technological fields. Cheryl Leggon finds analytical purchase in examining the intersection of race and gender, finding evidence of a complex digital divide in both access to, and use of, information technology. Barbara Katz Rothman’s analysis of the cultural meaning of genetic technology. Rothman suggests that the fundamental construction of ideas around reproductive and breast cancer technology carry gender differentiation. Linda Layne drills more specific and addresses the complicated effects of new reproductive technology and early fetal diagnosis on women’s pregnancy and miscarriage experiences.

Carol Colatrella’s analysis of two science fiction film narratives examines the interplay of the attitudes about gender and technology design through the films’ depictions of woman-designed robots. James Fenimore’s chapter introduces the relevance of technology in the religious domain and suggests that new worship technologies embody and are shaped by commonly held beliefs of gender.

Across all chapters, the reader will appreciate insightful points that help provide a contextually rich background on how gender permeates the technological terrain.