technology.. sexist?
November 9, 2008
After the Iphone craze that is still going on (or has it died down?), I am actually looking forward to what the market will come up next. Not that I am another hardcore fan of all these gadgets, but it is perhaps interesting to note that technology will continue to advance over the years. They have already included the email, mp3, television and radio functions in a phone, I am quite sure they will come up with more. Who knows, it’ll soon be a mobile that can function as a “universal remote control”.
But what I would like to bring up is how technology may also be a subtle (or not) contributor to gender discrimination. Potentially sounding ridiculous, a woman claimed that Apple is accused of iPhone gender discrimination because it is a phone unsuited for those with long fingernails. In other words, it’s a phone suited for men as the screen responds to the electrical charge emitted by fingertips.
However, a more serious issue is how technology may be the heavy contributor in gender inequality among children in terms of toys and videogames. I think that this is a serious matter because it is during the stages of growing up the young are able to construct and build their own gender identity. If you were to walk into any toy store, one can definitely differentiate the girls’ section and the boys’ immediately. Labels are not needed, because the toys are already being neatly organized and separated. Whether or not a toy carries a masculine or a feminine trait may be easily seen from the appearance of the toys. This direct or indirect labeling of toys may have a negative impact on children, girls especially, in terms of the future because they will grow up with the reluctance to use toys that are labeled as not being for them. Videogames, for instance, are usually catered to boys; hence, girls are left out in the end. Perhaps this may be partly due to the fact that most videogames industries target the male market since they are generally known to be more keen and better at it than girls. Since technology plays a vital role in this modern world, labeling of different forms of technology to carry a masculine trait in the young’s children mind may carry negative consequences especially when dealing with gender equality. True, alternatives are created to deal with the “videogames are only for boys” issue through the creation of games “specially for girls” but is this enough? It is rare to see girls who dare to cross this invisible gender boundary and play or compete with the boys in the videogames. This reinforces the preconceived opinion that girls have limited interests and are only interested in games that involve fashion, make-up, fairytales, Barbie and the colour pink and girls will then automatically perceive all the other games as being for boys.
Maybe some may argue that it is ridiculous to dwell on this toy issue, because they’re just toys and children will soon grow up and be too old for these toys. But Mead (1934, 25) claims that “in the play period the child utilizes his own responses to these stimuli which he makes use of in building a self.” Children will definitely learn from playing, and by restricting girls’ toys to kitchen sets, Barbie dolls and Polly pockets, they will be left out in more mature content which boys are more likely to be exposed to. Coupled with the girly outlook of these games, the contents offered in girl games will lead to the everlasting stereotype that boys are better at using technology than girls, even though technology seems to be an essential part of our daily lives today, both boys AND girls.
