David Nicholson's "Cyber-Gender Stereotypes Just Don't Compute" exemplifies an ongoing repudiation of the notion that computers are just for guys. At the risk of being misunderstood, I must admit that I once shared Nicholson's idea regarding women and computers, which he plainly states; "Computing has always seemed a guy thing to me" (187). I don't believe that the notion of men being more interested in computers than women is necessarily yoked with any patronizing sentiment, but rather with an innocent notion that is simply becoming less accurate.
Generally speaking, men are usually more interested in hi-fi stereos and electronics, or at least the mechanics of such wonderful gizmos, and we (men) naturally have held computers in this same regard. Nicholson says it well: "When I talk about computers with other men, we chat about them the way we do--or used to--about cars. We boast about the speed of our processors and the size of our hard drives" (188). We simply haven't thought much about the fact that, while women may not discuss the inner workings of their particular hard drive as often as men, they are often just as adept with and interested in computers as are men.
Upon examining my own feelings on the matter, I can't say that I ever thought that women were less capable of using and understanding computers than were men, I simply felt fewer women were interested in the field than seems to be the case. While most of my computer aficionado friends are male, there are some females as well. However, the misunderstanding of the computer-gender issue is quite understandable. As Nicholson points out (187), the media has relentlessly reinforced the idea of computing as a male-dominated field. Most of the advertising is directed at the male market. Nicholson cites Bianca Floyd, of The Chronicle of Higher Education, as saying, "Computing is perceived as a male activity because 'it has been marketed that way,' with its ads directed primarily at male users" (187). I must also mention here that this trend is obviously changing. Corporate America is beginning to realize its mistake and concentrate a more proportional slice of the advertising machine toward the vast amount of women who, up until now, have been almost ignored. Personally, as a male, I have no problem with all of this. I want to see all improper stereotypes fade away, including the one that underestimates my female computing counterparts.
Nicholson, David. "Cyber-Gender Stereotypes Just Don't Compute." CyberReader. 2nd ed. Ed. Victor J. Vitanza. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 1999. 7-17.
Established October 2001.