Gender
Its Gender meltdown time
by Christine Fraser
Gender issues have always been driven by women - and for many women 'gender',
where differences lead to bias in opportunities, is a major issue. The challenge
taken up by campaigning women has usually been to confront hierarchical
structures, bureaucracy and systems perceived to block or frustrate equal
access to opportunities.
This is less so, if at all, with information technology. It's different.
Whilst access to IT equipment and on-line facilities may be an 'issue',
it is an issue for ALL. Now there is less frustration at blockage in the
'vertical' system and structure of 'authority' because lines of communication
are opening up horizontally in an unmediated, un-edited way.
Since technology is gender-blind, a real opportunity presents itself to
create the Information Society free from a negative gender legacy. it is
refreshing to meet new people on the Internet where gender is wholly irrelevant.
I spent two weeks communicating with Keikki in Finland before I knew he
was a man.
On the other hand, personal relationships benefit enormously where people
working apart can be kept in touch. Jane recently attended our 'CyberSkills
Workshops' in Plymouth. She is now getting on-line so that she and her merchant-seaman
husband can be in direct touch when he is away at sea for up to 6 weeks
at a time. At £2.50 per minute for satellite telephone, e-mail is clearly
a better and more cost-effective option. And because young people tend to
enjoy using it, it also ensures the kids write to Dad without prompting!
The Chinese define woman as 'One Half of the Sky'. Perhaps women can therefore
think of themselves now as 'One Half of CYBERSPACE'. And gender-meltdown
means we won't be able to see the join
© Christine Fraser
Network 2000
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