Sorry to pull out this bit of very old news to blog about, especially since it is once again from the New York Times (I really need to get a subscription to the Post), but y’ know what? It’s still bothering me. A lot.
I’m a woman who works in and knows mucho about technology. And lately, there are more and more of us invading. We don’t necessarily walk around covered in gadgets (unless the cell phone, the laptop, the camera, and the mp3 player count), but we know a lot about them and we don’t need a manual to use them. So when someone writes an article about how spiffy it is that companies are dumbing down electronics for women, it tends to rub us the wrong way.
The article does make one good point: “Women are busier than men.” This is a sad cultural reflection of the fact that the feminist revolution didn’t rid us of our child-growing and house-cleaning duties. But it’s the truth, and it’s why mom isn’t playing with the new scanner. Unless you make a point of it (and goodness knows that society has discouraged that one), you don’t have time to know your tech specs.
That being said, the solution is to change the situation and shake off the “gadgety girl” taboo, not make electronics that reinforce the stereotypical “computer guy.” But that’s exactly the “revolution” that this article is celebrating:
