Women, Work and Computerization: Charting a Course to the Future

317 Pages·2000·5.718 MB·English

by  Ellen Balka (auth.), Ellen Balka, Richard Smith (eds.)

WOMEN, WORK AND COMPUTERIZATION
Charting a Course to the Future
IFIP -The International Federation for Information Processing
IFIP was founded in 1960 under the auspices of UNESCO, following the First World
Computer Congress held in Paris the previous year. An umbrella organization for societies
working in information processing, IFIP's aim is two-fold: to support information
processing within its member countries and to encourage technology transfer to developing
nations. As its mission statement clearly states,
IFIP's mission is to be the leading, truly international, apolitical organization which
encourages and assists in the development, exploitation and application of information
technology for the benefit of all people.
IFIP is a non-profitmaking organization, run almost solely by 2500 volunteers. It operates
through a number oftechnical committees, which organize events and publications. IFIP's
events range from an international congress to local seminars, but the most important are:
• The IFIP World Computer Congress, held every second year;
• open conferences;
• working conferences.
The flagship event is the IFIP World Computer Congress, at which both invited and
contributed papers are presented. Contributed papers are rigorously refereed and the
rejection rate is high.
As with the Congress, participation in the open conferences is open to all and papers may
be invited or submitted. Again, submitted papers are stringently refereed.
The working conferences are structured differently. They are usually run by a working group
and attendance is small and by invitation only. Their purpose is to create an atmosphere
conducive to innovation and development. Refereeing is less rigorous and papers are
subjected to extensive group discussion.
Publications arising from IFIP events vary. The papers presented at the IFIP World
Computer Congress and at open conferences are published as conference proceedings, while
the results of the working conferences are often published as collections of selected and
edited papers.
Any national society whose primary activity is in information may apply to become a full
member ofIFIP, although full membership is restricted to one society per country. Full
members are entitled to vote at the annual General Assembly, National societies preferring
a less committed involvement may apply for associate or corresponding membership.
Associate members enjoy the same benefits as full members, but without voting rights.
Corresponding members are not represented in IFIP bodies. Affiliated membership is open
to non-national societies, and individual and honorary membership schemes are also offered.
WOMEN, WORK AND
COMPUTERIZATION
Charting a Course to the Future
IFlP TC9 WG9.1 Seventh International Conference
on Women, Work and Computerization
June 8-11, 2000, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Edited by
Ellen Balka
Simon Fraser University
Canada
Richard Smith
Simon Fraser University
Canada
~.
"
SPRINGER-SCIENCE+BUSINESS MEDIA, B.V.
ISBN 978-1-4757-6977-7 ISBN 978-0-387-35509-2 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-0-387-35509-2
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A C.I.P. Catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
Copyright 2000 by Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
@
Originally published by Kluwer Academic Publishers in 2000
Ali rights reserved. No part ofthis publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, photo-copying,
recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permis sion ofthe publisher,
Springer-Science+Business Media, B.V ..
Printed an acid-free paper.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements ...................................................................................... ix
Ellen Balka & Richard Smith
Introduction .................................................................................................... I
Ellen Balka
l.The Absence of Women in Computing
Making the Computer Masculine .................................................................. 9
Ellen Van Oost
Do Computers Transform People Into Women and Men? ........................ 17
Bettina Torpe!
Net Gains ..................................................................................................... 26
Rosemary Pringle, Sue Nielsen, Liisa Von Hellens,
Anita Greenhill, and Lynne Parfitt
Women And Computing ............................................................................. 34
D. Ramanee Peiris, Peter Gregor and Indigo V
2. Training and Careers
The Globalization Of Gender in IT ............................................................. 42
M. Suriya and Androniki Panteli
Women in Computer Science ...................................................................... 50
Iwona Miliszewska and John Horwood
Gender Differences in Vancouver Secondary Students ............................. 58
Vania Chan, Katie Stafford, Maria Klawe, Grace Chen
v
VI ELLEN BALKA & RICHARD SMITH
Why LT. Doesn't Appeal to Young Women ........................................... 70
Judith Symonds
Computer Self Efficacy and Gender ........................................................ 78
A. Durndell, Z. Haag, D. Asenova, & H. Laithwaite
Where Are They At With IT? .................................................................. 86
Annemieke Craig, Andrew Stein
ARC ......................................................................................................... 94
Maria Klawe, Ian Cavers, Fred Popowich, Grace Chen
3. The Nuts and Bolts of System Design
Information Systems .............................................................................. 10 2
Alison Adam
Constructing Common Sense ................................................................ III
Catherine Sherron
Masculine World Disguised as Gender Neutral .................................... 119
Tarja Kuosa
Doubting the OBJECT World ............................................................... 127
Cecile K. M. Crutzen and Jack F.Gerrissen
Gendered User-Representations ............................................................ 13 7
Els Rommes
Information System Development Methodologies ................................ 146
H. Abimbola Soriyan, Anja Mursu, and Mikko Korpela
Will ETs Understand Us If They Make Contact? .................................. 155
E. Turner and L. Stepulevage
4.Gender Differences in Computer Use
Considering the Gender of Your Web Audience ................................... 164
Julie Fisher and Annemieke Craig
Gender Differences in Web Navigation ................................................ 174
Sharon McDonald and Linda Spencer
Women in Computer-Mediated Discussions ......................................... 182
Christine Owen
5. Citizenship
Electronic Democracy ........................................................................... 191
Paula Roberts
Discourses and Cracks ........................................................................... 199
Annelie Ekelin and Pirjo Elovaara
Table of Contents vii
Local Interpretations of Information Technology .................................... 208
Sari Tuuva
Courting Women @ E-Com ...................................................................... 217
Leslie Regan Shade
6.Computers in Everyday Life
Negotiating Time and Space for Every-Day Pleasure .............................. 225
Eileen Green
Young Girls On the Internet ...................................................................... 233
Tove Hapnes and Bente Rasmussen
New Technology Increasing Old Inequality? ........................................... 241
Tove Hapnes and Bente Rasmussen
7.Women and Work
Squeezing Librarians Out Of The Middle ................................................ 250
RomaHarris
Sleep in a Sleepless Age ............................................................................ 260
Allison Pugh
"My Home Workplace is My Castle" ....................................................... 268
Crystal Fulton
The Cottage or the Sweatshop? ................................................................ 276
Susan Bryant
Small Business Use of Electronic Networks ............................................ 284
Leanne Wood
8.The Use of Computers in Education
Feminist Pedagogy and the Lap Top Computer ....................................... 292
Paula Chegwidden
Education On-Line: What's In It For Women? ........................................ 300
Helen J. Richardson and Sheila French
Acknowledgements
ELLEN BALKA & RICHARD SMITH
Simon Fraser University [email protected], [email protected]
We would like to acknowledge the sponsors of Women Work and
Computerization: Charting a Course to the Future, whose generous support
has made this conference possible.
• Assessment of Technology in Context Design Lab, Simon Fraser
University
• Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
• Centre for Policy Research on Science and Technology (CPROST),
Simon Fraser University
• Centre for Systems Science, Simon Fraser University
• Dean of Applied Science, Simon Fraser University
• IBM Canada
• IBM Research (USA)
• Office of Learning Technology, Canada
• Office of the Vice-President Academic, Simon Fraser University
• Office of the President, Simon Fraser University
• School of Computer Science, Simon Fraser University
• Office of the Vice President Research, Technical University of
British Columbia
• School of Communication, Simon Fraser University
• Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
(SSHRC)
• Supporting Women in Information Technology (SWIFT), University
of British Columbia
IX
x ELLEN BALKA & RICHARD SMITH
Conference Chair
Ellen Balka
Conference Committee & Referees
Alison Adam (GB) Uta Pankoke-Babatz (GER)
Ellen Balka (CDN) Ulrike Petersen (GER)
Andrew Clement (CDN) Bente Rasmussen (NOR)
Annemieke Craig (AUS) Toni Robertson (AUS)
Cecile Crutzen (NL) Martina Schollmeyer (GER)
Zena Cumberpatch (GB) Angela Scollary (AUS)
Pirjo Elovaara (FIN) Leslie Shade (CDN)
Eileen Green (GB) Richard Smith (CDN)
Frances Grundy (GB) Susan Smith (USA)
Ilena Hamburg (GER) Lucy Suchman (USA)
Felicity Henwood (UK) Elisabeth Sundin (SWE)
Helena Karasti (FIN) Kea Tijdens (NL)
Maria Klawe (CDN) Marja VehviHiinen (FIN)
Carolien Metselaar (NL) Gladys We (CDN)
Veronike Oechtering (GER) Debora Weber-Wolff (GER)
Christine Whitehouse (GB)
Local Organizing Committee
Ellen Balka, Richard Smith,
School of Communication, School of Communication,
Simon Fraser University - Chair. Simon Fraser University.
Deborah Kirby, Gladys We,
Executive Director Continuing Studies,
WWC2000. Simon Fraser University.
Maria Klawe,
Dean of Science, University of
British Columbia.
With special thanks to Brian Peterson, Ryan Sadler, and the staff at the
School of Communication, Simon Fraser University.