Ok so I stirred up metaphorical ‘male’strom of Web 2.0 and media machinations from my last posting ‘Me Tarzan, You Jane’ that was about gender divides within Web 2.0 and the media environment.
I do not want this posting to become an easily discountable ‘whinging woman’ polemic of how ‘unfair’ or ‘unjust’ the situation is. This is intended to be a discussion about the facts and real experiences of the digital media environment as a resource for play, productivity, lifestyle and also as employment.
There are key synergies here between what one of the commentators to my last post reminds us is included with the statement the ‘personal is political’. Well it’s high time the personal sought to become political again, especially as digital technologies become more integrated as part of everyday life(style), interaction and even employment for many of us.
I want to take this opportunity to include some of the observations that have come up on the comments page. Martha, Anon(2) and Baby all mentioned programming and formal code languages that do seem to distinguish the ‘boys from the girls’, as masculine and feminine ‘roles’ that cut across the Web and other media platforms.
It seems that gender is not the only issue here, but also the geek image. You are only allowed into The Club if you possess an in-depth knowledge of coding and more structural aspects of web development. Ok so here my own level of ‘geek ability’ does rather fall short. I do, do HTML (when forced), Javascript, Flash and so on… but hell Web 2.0 fluidity makes this less of an ‘essential’ special power – especially as I am not by ‘trade’ a web developer. However, there are important assumptions that are being made about the types of knowledge one should (and can) possess and the association of such abilities along gendered lines.
Case in note, one of the biggest issues that a (female) friend of mine has come across is that people assume that she is not a web developer. No, not that she is not capable, but simply that she does not fit the ‘image’, that that particular role calls forth. Now where’s the equality in that?
More recently I was in attendance at the Oxford Internet Survey (OxIS) 2007 Report release at the House of Commons. I was one of only a very limited number of women present. My role it was assumed was as a PR representative, not a researcher in my own right. To go back to the comments page Lunch Break and Anon(3)’s observations that women are type-cast into roles is a real problem, especially in IT.
More encouragingly, however, the main team of investigators at OxIS is headed by 2 women. So progress is being made. Enlightenment may well follow amongst the rest of IT.!
A small caveat, I do not think that my experiences reflect all women’s accounts of the media industry – I am just lucky enough to have this space to raise a few observations. I certainly do not believe that I am able to articulate these issues for all Geek Chic’s. I do know however, that I struggle with the identification of myself as a female and feminine Geek and trying to occupy credible space in a heavily male-dominated setting.
To return to Lunch Break and Anon(3) comments, that the ‘mundane’ and ‘donkey stuff’ is most commonly discounted as ‘women’s work’ – this just does not appeal to me. And whilst I am not ‘pumped up’ to be sweating about HTML, killing my liver in post work drinking sessions and ritual ‘high-fives’ with ‘The Man’, I do want to be recognised as an accomplished and intelligent Geek Chic in my own right.
Perhaps it would be worthwhile to share experiences of workplace or other cultures that operate to marginalise female participation AND to also recognise those sources that promote equal values.
My last question is this: Should it really matter that I am a Girl(y) Geek?
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.
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