“One important part of this pattern that Mumford missed, however, was how thoroughly “technology” was shaped by gender. For example, legal records from the thirteenth and fourteenth century show that in rural England women were entirely responsible for producing ale, the most common drink of peasantry.”(14)
Women do have a bulk of responsibility in revolutionizing technology and using it. This passage relates that technology has an assumed gender that is predominantly male. As the word technology evolved into its current meeting, women were pushed out of technological jobs because they were supposedly best suited for men. As technology advanced, limits for women increased. Women do venture into male dominated careers, but women were always on the frontier of technology, and they may not even know it.
Why then, is technology considerably so masculine? The traditional female roles, such as caretaker and housewife include many “technologies” that society often doesn’t consider. If one ever mapped the evolution of a house wife’s cleaning, cooking, and child bearing methods they might be surprised. Who used the vacuums, stoves, and sewing machines? Mostly women, though the modern male may argue this is untrue, but at least it is in a traditional sense. These tools evolved to better equip women to do their “jobs” around the house. Raising kids? Certainly many would argue that for some women this is an inherent trait, but mothers must adapt and use new technology to raise their kids. A mother in 2007 may raise a child very differently from one in the 1940’s. The amount of child care products is on the raise and even child labor itself is being revolutionized with more efficient and painless procedures.
Not all technology is exclusive to males. The connotations in which society views what technology is may start to shift as a wider horizon of use opens up to more people. The view of technology as merely tools and science seems to be shifting. What are some other groups of people not normally associated as technology users advancing the system today?
