I just recently attended a conference in York Toward a Social Science of Web 2.0. And delighted you shall be to hear that the word and stance of Girly Geekdom was promoted and even called forth in such an environment. In short a really positive experience! Proof indeed that exposure and experiences within Web 2.0 mark an interesting and ‘credible’ point of contact and career status for Girly Geeks everywhere!
Just one minor disappointment.
One of the presentations was based on the ‘Lending of support to women in IT’. Wonderful! I hear you cry, real recognition of the gendered difference that is facilitated by technology and Web 2.0 realms. I anticipated synergies with Sarah’s own activism and promotion of Girly Geeks! Excitement!
Perhaps it was the component of the presentation itself, but what came across was not how to promote and empower women in IT, but a ‘re-hash’ of already known divides that were stated as being ‘here to stay’, unless there was intervention from another source. The source in this case being ‘interest’ in the research from Microsoft. Other methods of empowerment were mention of an ‘angry forum’ for women to rant about their position, or lack of it, in IT.
*sigh* Stereotypes prevail then.
And so it was with a very heavy heart that myself and another colleagues of mine rolled our eyes toward the ceiling and felt once again that our own development of Geek knowledge was always going to be perceived in ‘difference’ to men’s position in IT, unless it came with the ‘endorsement’ of an established company such as Microsoft.
Perhaps I am being too critical. On the plus side it is wonderful that there is research and there are companies like Microsoft that 1) acknowledge that there are divides and 2) are willing to fund/lend support to such projects. However, what jars is that this is based upon what is cited as ‘the problem of women in IT’. But that is exactly my point,’ women in IT’ should not be considered a ‘problem’, but seen as a (new) source of competent, very skilled and for the most part ‘untapped’ knowledge and labour pool.
So I’m going to tip the balance again on this blog and suggest that there is a new ‘C’ word in town (and no its not that one) but one that refers instead to ‘competence’. Or in this case perceived lack of it, in the technology industry and even amongst Girly Geeks.
This Sunday’s Observer Women’s Monthly had a really interesting piece on ‘New Feminists’ and what it means to identify yourself as a ‘new’ feminist, now that the term is ‘defunct’, ‘out-of-date’, and deemed ‘unnecessary’.
The good news is that much like their Girly Geeks counter-parts, these young women had ‘competence’ in bucketfuls! So far from being ‘over’ Feminism is in fact ‘everywhere’ and can only help to redress the ‘woman in IT problem’ to show that actually this need not be a problem at all!
To lead away from social type-casting would be great, not least as Sarah’s latest posting Stereotype Bingo reveals this is not just about women’s position in the technology, but is related to the perceived relationship that women should have with technology that is a problem. Thanks to O2 then, another ‘cute’ pink toy to add to the rubbish tip that is the junk yard of ‘feminine’ gadgets (and not of the Anne Summer’s variety either, although perhaps in this case that would be an improvement).
No what we have here are more than lazy marketing tactics, and even more lazy company policy that needs to be re-energised and realise that Girly Geeks are competent, motivated and interested in ‘real’ un-pink technologies that actually ‘do stuff’.
Girly Geeks: not just pink robots and here to stay 
About Dr Mariann Hardey
I hold the position of Lecturer in Social Media Marketing at Durham Business School. I also spend too much time enjoying social technologies, media+ stuff. That'll make me a Geek then. And a gal.
