Reflections on Gender and Technology Studies: In What State is the Art?

Abstract

This Comment reflects upon the relationship between gender and technology, and how it has been theorized in recent decades. I argue that while feminist approaches have had considerable influence on mainstream social studies of science and technology, tensions remain. I go on to explore the proliferation of feminist research which conceptualizes technology as culture. I suggest that the contemporary focus on cultural representation and consumption, exciting and productive as it is in many respects, has contributed to the neglect of design studies. These are necessary to fully elucidate how gender relations figure in the construction of technology.