Gender and Technology at Work : From Workplace Studies to Social Justice in Design

This book traces the gendering of women's work and technology from its historical roots in factories, offices, IT companies, and hospitals to contemporary workplaces including platform- and AI-based work. It adopts a feminist/intersectional perspective on design with a focus on norm-critical, social justice-oriented, and decolonizing approaches.

This book brings together the vast research literature about gender and technology to help designers understand what a gender perspective and a focus on intersectionality can contribute to designing information technology systems and artifacts, and to assist organizations as they work to develop work cultures that are supportive of women and marginalized genders and people. Drawing on empirical and analytical studies of women's work and technology in many parts of the world, the book addresses how to make invisible aspects of work visible; how to recognize women's skills without falling into the trap of gender stereotyping; how to engage in improving working conditions; and how to defend care of life situations and needs against a managerial logic. It addresses challenges for design, including many overlooked and undervalued aspects, such as the complexities involved in human–machine interactions, as well as the need to create safe spaces for research subjects.