ABSTRACT
From the traditional stereotyped viewpoint, femininity and technology clash. Women are seen as incompetent – suited only to work with machines that have been made and are maintained by men. From the traditional stereotyped viewpoint, femininity and technology clash. Technological change is commonly seen as leading to deskilling, opening up possibilities for the replacement of men by women. An important reason for employers to hire women was that they were cheaper than men. Low wages were, however, never the only reason for employing women. Tilly has argued that women were excluded from certain jobs, and from career progression through jobs, because of the expectations that they would marry, have children, and take responsibility for raising them. Although the effects of technological change have been studied, these studies are predominantly about men, either because industries were chosen in which men formed the main part of the workforce, or because women were explicitly excluded from the studies.
