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You are both stating the same things it seems how to we invite the girls
that prefer the Barbie's and still keep the interest of girls like me who
are "unnatural" or "nontraditional" and don't mind the competition. I state
this knowing that the women that has successfully competed do not like to
be
told that there is something different about them because of their gender.
In addition, the "traditional" women do not like to compete to prove their
abilities. These mind frames are different which develops different
approaches and perspectives.
Although, I never liked barbie my bestfriend did. She had the whole barbie
line up, house, car, Ken and many other accessories. Each time I went to
her
house I could not imagine what she enjoyed about these things. They didn't
do anything by my standards. I distinctly remembered one day she got up and
went to her mother to demand to have me play with her. She wanted her
mother
to make me play with those dolls, I was reading a book and found it more
interesting than what she was doing, but after hearing her upset I decided
to play reluctantly. I later went home bored and unhappy. I chose only to
play with her when we were outside. We grew distant because we had nothing
much to play together with. Today she is a hairdresser (and I hear pretty
good too) and I am a women that works to help other women develop
technological skills. Whenever we run into each other we still don't have
much to share and I never tell her what I do but I listen to her discuss
her
life as a hairdresser. She never asks what I do and I never offer because I
know it would not interest her.
Where do we find the middle ground? How do we keep both types of women and
girls interested?
How do we introduce products and ideas that do not offend either types of
girls?[note: I was offended at Mattel's Barbie Doll computer and it remains
one of
the only young girl computers out today]
Shireen Mitchell
Director - Digital Sisters, Inc.
director@digital-sistas.org
www.digital-sistas.org
"Technology with Women in Mind"
Cornelia Brunner <cbrunner@edc.org>wrote: Subject: [EDEQUITY Technology]
Change takes
time.....
At present, it seems to me that any biological notions about gender
differences are terribly dangerous because they threaten to put us back
into the box of biological determinism my generation fought so hard to get
out
of. So your description of your childhood would have been a sad story of a
girl considered "unnatural" by her culture rather than a story of good,
respectful parenting, which So I learned to live with a little more
ambiguity. I now think that we need to invite girls who love their Barbies
into the technological universe,make a place for them that builds on their
strengths and interests, as well as
making sure that any girl like you, who is not bound by tradition, feels
appropriately at home in that same universe....
Donna Milgram <donnam@iwitts.com> wrote: Subject: [EDEQUITY Technology]How
do we interest girls......
The challenge becomes when we have a girl who likes barbie dolls and
doesn't want to pull apart a radio. How do we engage her? What if she
doesn't
like competition either? As most females don't (FYI Shireen, so do I).If
she's
to be successful in using technology she needs to have these tinkering
skills, it's fundamental.....
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