Feminine Technology Issues - Coursework Example

Women's Studies - Technology of Gender Introduction Science and technology of the world has been about what the men do in their day to day work. It has been specifically on men's approach to motion, their work on energy and very many other optimisations that men have gone about doing for their own work. The word technology has been synonymous with what is done in the world of men. Very few, if any, work done for the women folk of the society has been considered major technology breakthroughs. Every technology breakthrough comes with two major portions (McGraw 15); One, the hardware and the other the software part. While the hardware part is visible working of the technology and the user is able to perceive the work that is done, the software part is not really perceived. In most of the earlier technologies, most of the software part is in making the hardware work to the advantage of the user. For instance, car is a major technology achievement; every automobile is. However, in the earlier days, cranking the car, starting it up and driving it safely; all these were expected as knowledge for the person who drives the car. In other words, this is the software that is expected out of the user to make use of the hardware that is called the car. So is the case with most of the technologies today. More and more products in the technology front would mean that the person who makes use of it has to be technology savvy and applies more technology to run or make use of the 'technological' hardware. This is more so, in the case of those objects specifically made for the women. The technology employed for those gadgets exclusively used by the women has grown in their dimensions and so is the software part for that gadget as well. The feminine technologies drive at making the right kind of gadget for the women in the form and manner best suited for them and their operation (McGraw 20). A car is not designed for a woman. It is made for a man and given to women to make use of! However, there are specific devices and gadgets that are specifically made for women. Once these are made for them, there are features in these products which present the feminine technology. In this paper we will consider one such product and analyse the extent to which this product is oriented towards feminine technology. We will also analyse the extent to which feminine technology and the technology of genders have an impact on the social, political and cultural aspects of our society. Hip Hugger Laundry Basket The hip hugger laundry basket is not a 'great' invention but addresses the need of a woman at home. The technologies that matter most are employed with the understanding of how the work is done at home. It is supposed for carrying at the hip with one hand and other hand free to hold on to a rail while climbing stairs or for whatever other purpose. This is supposed to be large enough to take care of the normal requirement of a family in holding the clothes. It should be soft on the hip but at the same time hard enough not to break down easily when it is fully loaded. This is not a great requirement from the hardware point of view of the technology. There are a number of soft plastics that could be soft on the hip and be hard enough not to break when loaded. However, the software for using this product is not that easy. It is not easy for, say men, to carry something of this kind on their hips. Only with practice it can be placed appropriately and be carried for on the hips. Additionally, when this is carried for long distances, say up the stairs, the pain in the hips is certainly high. And that is possibly the reason why they have also provided alternate grips on the sides of the basket so that they can be carried with both hands. In which case, they are no better than the other baskets that women have been using all along. The only comforting factor in the hip hugger basket is that it hugs the hip reasonably well and is made ergonomically. This makes the hip hugger what it name claims to be but this is not a full time hip hugger and is not designed after complete analysis of the requirements of the women at home. Hip hugger laundry basket would require a soft possibly a rubberised plastic that would really be soft on one side but still the wait of the clothes cannot be ruled out. It would certainly be heavy on the hips of the women which would generally be very soft and the skin could yield with a little bruising. Therefore, it is important for the designing person to check on all the factors that are important for the working women which would make the product more feminine than what it is today. Typical point to be considered and not taken into account would be: 1. Placing the basket on the hip is certainly comfortable when compared to carrying the same with both the hands. But then since the load is heavier, the person might find it difficult to support for longer distances. In order to correct this alternate measures could be made; may be a shoulder hang or such other provision which would help the user to share the load. Similarly, close analysis of the product and its performance to suit the needs of the women who make use of them is not completely done in all products, even in those made for them. Feminine Technologies and their Social-Cultural-Political Impact The feminine technologies, therefore, has been progressing all along the history though there are a number of gadgets and tools specifically made for the use of women in their homes. This varies from candle stands to closets and a number of other products at home. Under the essentialism principle, there is a permeating and underlying essence that runs across the entire society and all its activities (Fuss 2). This has different connotations. Typically, in case of colour that runs through all the activities, it is said, is black. Black is considered the essential colour that runs through every activity that human is involved in. There is always a black colour somewhere. The correctness of the essentiality is not proven, however. In a similar vein, there is an underlying character of essentialism in every activity. Feminism has been looked up as an underlying factor in many of the socio-cultural and political scenarios by feminist thinkers and theory advocators. However, the feminist thought itself stems out of the feminist theory and from an essentiality understanding of the situation. Most of the happenings in the modern world is attributed to the learning or the experience of the self, as per the post-modern essentialism. However, the feminists hold that it is not always true that a person could possibly 'think' oneself free. Though many of the psychologists to point out freedom is in the minds of the people and none could restrain or stop one from getting it if they really want to. The truth of the statement would vary from situation to situation and may not be true at all times either. The social thread in the society, its culture is defined and maintained by the activeness of sexuality in that society to a great extent. A society that deprives the activities of one of the sexes might not be culturally very active. However, deprivation happens more on the feminine rather than on the male. In a similar vein, where there is suffrage from women, the political scenario and the outcome of the democracy is categorically different from that which does not have one. The impact of gender in every walk of life is undeniable. The culture and social behaviour of people when there is a mix of genders is specifically different from the ones where it is uni-gender. The social gatherings specifically change their colour when there is a mix of genders. The sexuality and the presence of the female species of the human being change the behaviour of the male to an extent that it is categorical and the outcome of such meetings is substantially different. This happens in political preferences too. The choice of the man who has a woman at home is different from the one who does not have one (Fuss 21). So is the case with the woman as well. The influence of individuals in the political, social and the cultural canvas of the world are very strong and they decide on the way these ideas emerge. Conclusion In line with the points raised in the previous sections of this essay, it is seen that the human behaviour has been more viewed from the male point of view. There are specific technologies and inventions which are primarily made for the women and feminine technologies have been developing in line with the requirements of the women folk. The feminism permeates all through the social and civil life of the human society. Though subtle, it is strong and works through out the cultural faade of the society. In a similar vein, it also has its influence even where the women do not have their suffrage; they have a substantial influence on the political happenings in every country / nation. Modern ideas are influenced continuously by the feminist influence that is thronging the thought processes of thinkers. References 1. Fuss, Diana. "The Risk of Essence." Essentially Speaking. New York: Routledge, 1989. 2. McGraw, Judith A. "Why Feminine Technologies Matter." Gender and Technology:A Reader. Ed. Nina E. Lerman, Tuth Oldenziel and Arwen P. Mohun. Baltimore: John Hopkins UP, 2003. Read More