What does Tech have to do with Women's Rights?

"Tech" isn't a four-letter word, but when it comes to "women's

issues" it might as well be. Technology has become a

male-dominated big business; profits have become the priority

over ethics and/or social implications. Women are missing from

the technology design room to the boardroom and this diminishes

the value and unique talents women bring to the table. We can no

longer accept this as a normal expectation. Marketing tactics by

technology manufacturers have only just begun to include women

in their advertising.



Today, it is commonly acceptable to send a resume through email,

to fill out a graduate school or job application online or to

find "Mr. or Mrs. Right" through Match.com. However, when it

comes to women's issues technology is traditionally not included

as a venue to advocate or mobilize around.



Violence against women has appeared as cyber stalking and/or

bullying. The video game "Grand Theft Auto" which gives points

for beating a certain class of women to get the user's money

back has been a recent "hot" topic.



There are many government

agencies working to get the "Grand Theft Auto" game off shelves

or properly labeled as adult content but there are not that many

encouraging educational reform for girls in science, math,

technology or gaming. If there were more girls involved in

designing games this product may not have gone to the shelf with

violence against women packaged in the scoring system of the

game. Women are one of the highest purchasers of video games for

their sons but they never check to see if there are games for

their daughters.



Most are completely unaware that game consoles

like the Xbox where designed with no intentions on having

options for women or girls.



The gaming industry is not the enemy; games can be excellent

tools for learning if used properly. There are increasingly more

software games being designed for schools and educational

purposes. Socialimpactgames.com focuses on games for public

policy, health, wellness, business and social issues. Whether

there is a game that promotes anti Bush agendas or ethnic

cleansing, women must be involved.



Government officials have introduced a bill to address

electronic stalking in Washington DC, although it has included

stalking by computers, email, telephones and cell phones it does

not include video and audio recordings or the Global Positioning

Systems (GPS) that have been used by stalkers to track their

victims. There have been recent attempts with the Video

Voyeurism Act, but there are important women's issues missing

from these valuable attempts at addressing the issue.



Public health and safety has major societal implications.



There

are E-Government initiatives under the 2002 Act that will impact

many women's' lives, however the congressional subcommittee on

Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and

the Census is no longer in existence. "Egov" is the new lingo

for initiatives that include the Department of Justice's plans

for information sharing technology that include development and

deployment. This is also where jurors are now analyzing and

reviewing investigative data through laptops and other

technologies.



Funding for video devices are used to catch

criminals such as speeding and red light violators, or security

cameras in stop lights but funding is not available for

initiatives that use interactive videoconferencing technology to

build and maintain family bonds between incarcerated mothers and

their children or to provide other needed family services.



There are several Bills/Acts in congress that are on the books

about health care and information technology. Many are designed

to improve efficiency and the quality of health care delivery by

streamlining medical records, preventing medication errors,

giving online access to information about outbreaks of

infectious diseases or simply to help single mothers get their

children immunized for school like DC's government did by

implementing the internet based immunization registry.



Telemedicine has been used to help women by providing prenatal

care in rural areas. A recent bill to address digital divide

issues in rural areas will affect the continuation of the

telemedicine program for those mothers.



The societal impacts of technology are both positive and

negative and are traditionally noticeable in areas of

non-traditional work, job readiness, and education. Rarely are

areas of health, environment, public safety or cyber security

considered major concerns for women as it relates to science and

technology.



Already, the lack of technological skills is one

reason why so many low-income women aren't able to find jobs

above entry-level salaries. If this is not addressed, the lack

of technological skills will leave a larger underemployed

working class since studies have shown that in 2008 there will

be over 1.3 million new technology workers and by 2010, 65% of

the economy will be based on technology.



Prior to the fourth grade, studies show that girls are as

interested in technology more than boys. After that, girls are

discouraged by the adults in their lives and are constantly

challenged by the boys in their class, which leaves them

questioning whether they should even bother with math, science

or technology.



Adolescent girls are intensely pressured to be

"cute" instead of "smart," which leads to the current conflict

for young women interested in math, science or technology. Tech

"geeks" are rarely considered cute or attractive. It is also at

this time that young girls choose not to go into sports, yet we

have the WNBA, women's football, tennis and golf.



Without better awareness and advocacy, women will also be

susceptible to losing the gains that science and technology

bring and vulnerable to the dangers of technological ignorance.



We'll continue to be unprepared to advocate for or against the

decisions made in business and government laws or regulations.

Women and girls must be equally educated, encouraged, and

provided opportunities in science and technology. If they

aren't, the women of tomorrow won't be able to adequately

function in our technologically changing society.



We need to challenge all women, especially women lead

organizations, women philanthropists and area women funding

foundations. Let's widen the gender lens to include non

traditional women's issues, our futures depend on it.



For more information contact Ms. Mitchell ~

director@digital-sistas.org ~ www.digital-sistas.org ~