Gender In The “Content” Of Techonology:
Examples In Software Design
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52712/issn.1850-0013-485Keywords:
feminist technology studies, co-construction of gender and technology, gender scripts, software designAbstract
Technology constructivist feminism of the last two decades has proven the co-construction of gender and technology, criticizing the traditional conception of science and technology, which considered gender relations “external” to the technological content of artifacts. Constructivist feminism states that gender is not only “associated” to technologies once they are developed, but that it is integrated to the very matter of artifacts, which supposes the implication of gender in the very “content” of technology. The genderization processes are integrated at their “material” level, even though “material” is understood in its broadest sense, since, for example, we consider software the “content” of IT, even though its support is not physical. If gender relations are “integrated” into artifacts, in turn these will contribute to further develop and strengthen those relations. For that purpose we will use Margaret Akrich’s concept of “gender script”, which in turn was based on Steve Woolgar’s concept of “technological script”, for two specific cases of software design where gender aspects become part of technological production right from the start.
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