Feminism Confronts Technology

1. Edition August 1991
196 Pages, Softcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
Feminism Confronts Technology provides a lively and engaging
exploration of the impact of technology on women's lives from word
processors to food processors, and genetic engineering to the
design of cities. Comprehensive and critical, this book surveys the
sociological and feminist literature on technology, highlighting
the male bias in the way technology is defined as well as
developed. Wajcman sets the scene with an overview of feminist
theories of science and technology: encompassing the technologies
of production and reproduction as well as domestic technology.
The author challenges the common assumption that technology is
gender neutral, looking at whether technology can liberate women or
whether the new technologies are reinforcing sexual divisions in
society.
Preface.
1. Feminist Critiques of Science and Technology.
2. The Technology of Production: Making a Job of Gender.
3. Reproductive Technology: Delivered into Men's Hands.
4. Domestic Technology: Labour-saving or Enslaving?.
5. The Built Environment: Women's Place, Gendered Space.
6. Technology as Masculine Culture.
Conclusion.
Notes.
Bibliography.
Index.
particularly suitable as a textbook in this growing field.'
Donald Mackenzie, Department of Sociology, University of
Edinburgh
'A useful and accessible contribution to current debates about
the connections between gender, technology and society.' New
Technology, Work and Employment
'This book will be of considerable interest to anyone working in
scientific and technical institutions facing difficulties, whether
crises in funding or in communication between science and
government, science and industry, science and the public.' The
New Scientist
'A most welcome work that addresses precisely this issue of how
gender can be registered as significant in the making of
technologies... It is a text that will, hopefully, be widely read
by undergraduate students.' Social Studies of Science
'Feminism Confronts Technology brings together an
impressive array of feminist work on technology.' Arena
Magazine
'Wajcman's book fills an important gap in the 'gender and
technology' literature.' Feminist Review