Women’s contributions to the development of technology are often forgotten or written out of history. It is all too easy to forget that women had a significant impact on the development of technologies we use today.

The Ada Lovelace Day is celebrated today by more than 1,600 bloggers who have signed up to blog about her today. We at LadyGeek want to support this initiative and are proud to raise awareness for this exceptional woman.

 

Ada Lovelace (1815-1852) is rightly acclaimed to be one of the first  computer programmers. She wrote programmes for a machine  -  an early mechanical general-purpose computer - envisioned by Charles Babbage. Ada Lovelace was one of the visionaries who anticipated the power that computers can bring that go beyond number-crunching.

Ada Lovelace can be seen as a role model for women in technology and some of today’s role models are mentioned in this article in Computer Weekly.

 

 

 

The latest research I have conducted with Syracuse university
highlights some interesting findings. Whilst most younger women
under the age of 21 feel comfortable with technology and rate
themselves at 6 out of 10 on a tech literate scale, they are not
confident to buy technology without seeking reassurance from others.
They will rely heavily on the advice of either the sales assistant or
a friend.

Women want to know they have made the right decision when they buy technology. They want to see the product. Touch it, feel it, imagine using it. Is it going to enhance my life? How does it fit into my life?

Men do not rate themselves much higher than women, 7 out of 10 on the
tech literate scale but do not need any reassurance at point of
purchase. They are more likely to have researched products online and
checked out online reviews. Men are willing to take a gamble. They more likely to take risks when it comes to technology.

The process is completely different both in terms of perception and
behaviour. Yet tech brands know nothing about these gender
differences and neither do they spend any time conducting ‘decent’ research.

Tech brands support a very male and traditional buying process. A great emphasis is placed on traditional review sites such as CNET and IGN. These sites are almost exclusively read by men.

Currently the retail experience supports what men
want: a transaction. Stores like Game and Dixons continue to be a “vending machine” which relies on you knowing and be confident about
what you want. Rather than provide encouragement and expertise, the
sales assistants try to flog you a certain game or piece of kit that
only increases need for reassurance. And I wont even mention PC World
as I will come out in an allergic rash. I need therapy to get over
the ‘experience’ of trying to buy a hard drive there.

Tech retailers must create a culture of reassurance which is present in the attitude of the staff and the way women buy.

Forget the Genius Bar, bring in the Reassurance Bar where you can sit and have coffee with a member of staff. Have a Try Before you Buy section where you can see your kit in action. Make the stores feel like women’s ideal
home, not their idea of hell.

And last but not least, recognise that men and women are different in their wants and desires from technology.

The current economic crisis has raised many questions in regards to whether it fosters or harms gender inclusivity. Recent reports seem to suggest that it harms rather than helps the diversity and inclusivity agenda. However what can we learn from previous downturns?

The technology industry faced a crisis after the dot.com bubble burst. Sarah Dempsey, whose article ‘The Increasing Technology Divide – Persistent portrayals of maverick masculinity in US marketing’ was interested in what happens to gender inclusivity in times of crisis. She studied advertisements in Wired, the flagship magazine of the technical revolution, in 2000 and 2006.

Prior to the year 2000 the assumption was that the digital revolution is leading to an egalitarian lifestyle where everyone regardless of gender, race or ability could enjoy the newly found freedoms of technology. However by 2006 the industry had gone through the dot.com bust.

Sarah Dempsey’s detailed study of advertising in Wired in 2000 found three portrayals. First, men were seen as the main consumers of technology and women were mainly used as objects. Second, in an attempt to attract a wider audience more ‘Average Joes’ appeared in the adverts. Finally, technology was portrayed as empowering for men and women but the portrayals followed strict gender guidelines. Men were empowered as users of technology though maverick figures that resisted the mainstream. Women were empowered through technology through ‘damsel in distress’ narratives. Here a victimized woman would be rescued by technology.

How did these portrayals change in the year 2006? In the year 2006 the adverts were dominated by nerds and geeks. This supports the ideal of the masculine maverick figures. In contrast to the 2000 adverts, women were less likely to be used as objects. This might be related to the fact that many companies became increasingly aware of stereotypical gender portrayals of women. However the research found that overall, technology adverts were much less inclusive in 2006 than in 2000. Many more adverts were targeted at the white, male consumer. This research indicates that in a crisis, people tend to convert back to mainstream thinking leading to less diverse and inclusive gender portrayals. 

This clearly shows that advertising portrayals of men and women engaging with technology have to change. Women need to be seen in active roles as users and creators of technology. We also need to see more variety in the portrayals of men. Instead of just confirming the tired cliché of the masculine maverick, men have to be shown in relevant contemporary situations which allow men with different background to identify with them. The media plays a crucial role in shaping our views of the world and it is therefore crucially important that there are realistic yet aspirational role models for women and indeed men in technology that are displayed in leading magazines like Wired. Particularly in a crisis.