gender politics: paradoxes, dilemmas, difficulties, and chances edeltraud hanappi-egger
TRANSCRIPT
Gender Politics: Paradoxes, Dilemmas, Difficulties, and Chances
Edeltraud Hanappi-Egger
Introduction to Gender-Theories
gender
sex
When we are born each of us is labeled “boy” or “girl”.
As we grow up, we adopt roles that our culture defines as “male” or “female”.
gender
Introduction to Gender-Theories
Heterosexual matrix (Butler):
Sex/gender/desire:
“Doing gender” (West, Zimmerman):
Social construction of meaning
Sex (Body) Gender (social meaning) Desire (sexual orientation)
man woman masculine feminine Homo- Hetero- Bi- A-
Gender Segregations and Gender Hierarchies
Gender-specific division of labour: production – reproduction
• Within production: masculine versus feminine works (engineering
versus social work)
• Bread-winner versus part-time jobs for women
Sex and Gender used synonymously !!
• Gender-switch of tasks (e.g.programming, real estate)
Gender Discourse: Dilemmas, Paradoxes
1. Equality-oriented View: “Women are equally capable as men”
• Men as norm
• Neglects gendered socialisation
2. Difference-oriented View: “Due to biology (or socialisation) there is an essential difference between men and women”
• Reproduction of dualistic gender concept
• Assumption of intra-gender homogeneity
3. Deconstruction-View: “The meaning of gender is permanently created, produced and reproduced in social settings.”
• Critique on categorisation
• “fluid identity constructions” – politically ignorant?
Gender Discourse: Chances
Gender-Neutral or Gender-Blind?
• Acker: gendered organisations: division of labour, symbols, values
• Hanappi-Egger: gender-scripts in technological systems
Equal or Different?
• “temporarily static identities” to overcome re-production of stereotypes
• Intersectionality
Social or Functional?
• Shift away from social categories to living contexts and demands
Example: Technology Design and Devlopment: “adding women”
Technology: Hanappi-Egger (2004; 2006)
“More women in technology development will change technologies.”
Artefact
Essentialist approach: biology determines?
Example: Technology Design and Devlopment: “adding women”
Technology: Hanappi-Egger (2004; 2006)
“More women in technology development will change technologies.”
Artefact
Gendered imaginations:
Gender assignments
Social construction of gender determines
Reflection needed: Doing gender
Examples:
I-Methodology: gender-bias in design of software systems
Word-processing programs: low-status (female) tasks versus high-status (male) tasks - different supporting features
Organising principles of the Internet: hierarchies related to „target-groups“
….
Gender Discourse in Technology: Chances
Gender-Neutral or Gender-Blind?
• Questioning hidden gender-scripts
Equal or Different?
• Diversity
• participation
Social or Functional?
• Contexts of use
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