Gender Differences in Technology Use
The NTIA reports that 10 percent of the United States population (29.8 million people) is not online.1 In addition, many families only have access to technology in school or at work, not at home. A large majority of these families are low-income minority women raising children under the age of 18. Is it that they are low-income because they don’t have technology access at home, or that they don’t have technology access because they are low income?
Technological experiences in general are different for men than for women. Men tend to be more confident about learning and downloading new software, using the Internet to enhance their careers, taking online classes, and fixing computers if there are problems. Women are more likely to use the Internet for communication and relationship building, to get health and religious information, and to look for maps and directions.2 It is important to remember, however, that the problem here is not about women’s skills or ability; it is about their perception of their expertise. Some women view technological skills as an opportunity for the community, where some men see it as an opportunity for themselves and their upward mobility.
Some have drawn conclusions, like Harvard University’s ex-President Summers did when he stated that a woman’s brain is inferior to a man’s when it comes to math and science. My experience working with women and technology leads me to believe that, in reality, many women find technology uninteresting because of the negative—and gender-biased—messages that currently plague girls until adulthood. Video games are a major entry point for children to begin developing skills for technology use, and yet the gaming industry has been designed specifically with boys and men in mind. Violence and death are major themes, as in the enormously popular game “Grand Theft Auto,” which gives bonus points for beating or killing female prostitutes after engaging in sexual activities. Notably, games were not as gendered over 20 years ago when I was discovering my love of technology at the arcade. The lack of games for girls—or games appropriate for children of either gender—is a major problem for our mothers, adding to their distrust of technology.
Lack of education and overwhelming family responsibilities continue to be barriers for many women, as is evidenced by the types of women who come to Digital Sistas, Inc. They don’t have the technology skills they wish they had, particularly to compete in the current workforce. Some wish they could return to school. These women come to our classes asking for assistance, and we, in turn, provide them with training and education about technology, in some cases giving them computers. We discuss how sometimes mothers perpetuate in their children the same gender-biased expectations they faced as girls. Mothers who ask their sons to fix technological problems in the house will never bother to ask their daughters, assuming that boys and men are naturally better at it. If there is a computer at home, the boys are usually the ones using it the majority of the time. Therefore, no one else in the house gets the time to build technological skills, including the mother, who is often the only adult in the house. After recognizing these barriers, women are better able to identify where these preconceived notions of gender and technology have affected their lives. Although many can identify the problem, it is not easy for them to change their ways.
Sarah, for example, came to our program through our referrals from shelters. She had been trying to find a job to get out of the shelter with her children. After taking our class, she had acquired the confidence to consider a job other than housekeeping but still continued to sell herself short. Instead of continuing with housekeeping work, we encouraged her to look for a higher-paying job that could give her the option to upgrade her skills and receive educational stipends to go back to school. If she continued with minimum-wage hospitality work, we argued, she could easily end up back in a shelter. She could attend evening and online classes with the computer that she would receive from our program. These were strategies that took more time, but worked toward a better long-term outcome. For women who are accustomed to receiving $7.50 an hour, especially those without technology skills, seeking or demanding a job that pays a living wage of $11.50 or more is an overwhelming prospect.
The NTIA reports indicate that individuals from families with incomes under $30,000 are less likely to have technology access or high school diplomas than their wealthier counterparts.3 If entry-level positions at companies like CVS Pharmacies, Giant Foods, Home Depot, the Marriot, and even Comcast Cable require filling out applications online, how will people without technology skills find jobs with decent pay? Higher-paying jobs require resumes, and many employers want them to be e-mailed for ease of distribution. If 29 million people still don’t have Internet access, is the digital divide really a thing of the past, or has it merely changed its form?
Further, this issue transforms the recurring “where-are-the-women” question into the more complex “Which women, and why?” Although there are certainly “race/class/gender” discussions taking place daily in the blogosphere and in this edition of The Scholar & Feminist Online, one must ask, How many—and which—women’s voices are missing from those dialogues? Although some women are currently pushing the boundaries of being seen as experts and leaders in the blogosphere, poorly educated, low-income, and minority women remain absent from the discussions. Digital Sisters, Inc. continues to explore diverse women’s relationships to technology, asking why some women view technology as a powerful force for economic security for themselves or for social justice for their communities, and why some women are being left behind.
