It's Our Decision To Make...
Women and Technology

When I was first asked to contribute an article for Sisters' Place I was told that there could be any topic chosen from a woman’s viewpoint. My first question was on what was the maximum length of the article, and the person I spoke to said "it’s our website, we call the shots and it could be any length we say it can be." In other words, the decision was theirs and theirs alone to make. So simple a statement of fact yet so implicit in meaning.  It became the corner stone of my contribution.

"We call the shots" is being interpreted to mean that the decision is purely personal, dependent on nothing and no one. A meaningful creed that could and in fact needs to be, adopted by a lot of women who are either intentionally or unfortunately allowing themselves to be omitted from the constant evolution of technology.

There are places of business, some known to myself where some women seem oblivious to the fact that in the here and now, only knowing the keys on the keyboard for the purpose of typing is inadequate, when there is so much more that needs to be addressed. A woman who quite proudly tells you that she does not use the computer for anything else but, and is comfortable for other colleagues to pitch in to help her through her duties, is to be pitied in today’s world. Once you are still part of the workforce your function is at least to become en courant with the basics, regardless of age. Granted there are some women to whom even the thought of a computer is enough to induce paranoia, but just as there is virtually no place for the uneducated little boy or girl in today’s world, the same is true for women who are in continued denial of the need to change or at least try to keep up with, the times.

The same zeal with which some women ensure that they "hold their own" with or surpass men in quite a number of things needs to be a contagion in regard to technological advancement. The issue does not hinge on the digestion of all technology as fast as it happens, but to apply the same rationale that acknowledges that a primary, secondary and preferably tertiary education are necessary.

The quest for personal knowledge and awareness must apply to all aspects of the evolution of womanhood. Technological advancement should be given the same attention as for example, a woman’s need for self-expression and fulfillment in miscellaneous ways i.e. choice in career, sporting pursuit, choice of mate, etc. For some women, these choices are examples of sometimes purely personal decisions solely dependent on themselves. The way forward is to now inspire those women, who would preferably live or more accurately "survive" on the periphery of technology, with the same passion that consumes other women to go all the way in personal development, including staying abreast of change.

For women who balk at the thought of entering "the computer age", innovative learning methods could help ease that transition. It must be kept in mind that life itself is a learning process and there are as many approaches as there are changes. Think for example of not necessarily having to be able to utilize every software package or innovation that hits the market, but rather first determining the ways in which one’s life could preferably be made more functional and which technological applications would further that aim. Then, look into acquiring the requisite skills (technological and otherwise). One may not aspire to pilot the next shuttle, but simply holding one’s own in office/business matters or being functional in today’s world, would not be a bad idea.

With the vast technological changes, there are as many programs that all tout how "easy" it is to "master" various applications. As some well know this is not always the case. If one is fortunate to find a facility such as Basement Recordings, where the emphasis is on taking technology in a comprehensive manner, to the masses regardless of age, social class or gender, then half the battle is won. That need to get past all the technological jargon that sometimes just makes only the people who put out the respective books/manuals feel incredibly brilliant, and makes the target audience incredibly frustrated, is served by institutions such as Basement Recordings.

Imagine places where people from all walks of life come together to learn the basics (and more if desired) of popular and lucrative software packages so that they are able to appreciate the fundamentals; where the "mystery" of technology is put into a non-threatening perspective and no question is "too dumb". That is a way of educational life at the basement.

A woman’s approach needs to be: this is one more obstacle that will be surmounted by her indomitable spirit, and the fact that it could only make for a better-rounded human being in today’s competitive world. The following are some real life scenarios that provide impetus.

In the office, the computer/workstation is there to make life easier and far more productive. It is not to be used only as a "typewriter"! The merging of letters with various addressees and labels comprising complex mailing lists, thoughtfully placed graphics to make documents more effective, automatic pagination so that changes in text do not mandate a total overhaul of a table of contents, are but drops in the bucket of all the things that should no longer be major and time-consuming tasks. For a lot of us (women) the aforementioned software features are things that have been part of our day-to-day skills for many years. But the sad truth is that there are still some even though surrounded by it all, prefer to remain firmly entrenched within the "old days". It is not the least bit amusing -or uplifting- to see women sit before a workstation with all these features at their fingertips, and be totally oblivious –either intentionally or through ignorance- to their existence, much less how to utilize them.

If we shift the focus from the workplace to the home for example, technology is still a reality. For the women who choose to run their business from home, there are software applications that eliminate the drudgery and make for the efficiency of, administrative and other tasks. If the working from home detail is not in your portfolio, how many times have your children spent time on the computer and you are not any the wiser as to what they are really into. Considering that the care of children is usually left to women, being intimidated by technology can have its disadvantages when it comes to monitoring the activities of offspring.

The instances mentioned above do not even scratch the surface as to accurately reflect the technological world in which we exist, but they do highlight critical entry points of which women need to be cognizant. It is simply not good enough to be in step with the latest diets, fashions, soap operas or content to be the "little woman" at home.