Being Digital, and Domestically Challenged: a gendered perspective on access Leslie Regan Shade McGill University Graduate Program in Communications 3465 Peel St. Montreal, Quebec H3A 1W7 Internet: ac900@freenet.carleton.ca A discussion paper prepared for "Bridging the Gap": urban access to information technology. A CIAC/Industry Canada Invitational Workshop in conjunction with IHAC [Information Highway Advisory Council] Working Group on Access & Social Impact, March 9-11, 1994, Toronto _Why a gendered perspective?_ In the summer of 1993, thanks to Dave Sutherland and Garth Graham, I gave a talk at the Community Networking Conference in Ottawa on gender issues in computer networking. At that time, I joked that the topic seemed to be the flavour of the month. Since then, the topic of women and computers or gender and cyberspace has surpassed seasonal dictate. Articles have appeared in a variety of mass media forums, in academic journals, and as topics at various conferences. Advertising (both print and televised) has been picking up on this trend. For instance, a recent TV ad for IBM's OS2/WARP shows a group of nuns talking in hushed voices..."I read it in Wired", one says...another one says, "It's a great way to surf the net"....! This is happening in a climate where the Patriots Trail Girl Scout Council has put up their own home page... The text of the Community Networking Conference talk has made it onto innumerable gopher and Web sites, and I've seen it used in many course outlines-from UC San Diego to MIT- and cited in academic articles. Because of this text out there in net.land, I've probably averaged 1 to 2 e-mails a week for the last 18 months from colleagues, students (both male and female), and reporters on this general topic of gender issues in networking. Typical questions that I get asked include: *What do you think is the gender breakdown of the net? *Do you think that women communicate differently on-line as compared to men? and Do women lurk more and post less? *Do you think there is much on-line harassment or stalking? Examples? *Are women using the net as a tool for political organizing? *What do you think about pornography online? Reporters are usually keen to zero in on the supposed bounty of salacious content on the Internet, or on sexual harassment and/or `net-stalking'.The typical newstory usually features an aghast reporter scrolling down the titles of the alt.sex hierarchy of Usenet, or participating in a juicy cross-dressing escapade on IRC. Linguists and speech communication researchers are having a field day in cyberspace-analyzing the differences between male and female interpersonal communication. I get pretty fed up with this focus, so in January I tossed off a letter to the Globe and Mail (letters@globeandmail.com). Here is the text of that letter and the section the Globe edited out: __________________________________________________________ WOMEN IN CYBERSPACE Globe and Mail (January 28, 1995):D7 I disagree with Margaret Wente when she writes that most women know little about cyberspace (How About That Free Agency Rule, Eh-Women-Jan.14) and strongly agree with Tara Tosh ("Cruising the Internet" letters--January 25) when she writes "We 'gals' had better log on". Although there has been an explosive increase in mass media coverage of 'women and cyberspace' for the last 18 months, most of these accounts have portrayed a negative picture-- (i.e.,male monopolization of postings, online sexual harassment or stalking, and the availability of offensive content, including pornography, on the net). [the following paragraph was edited from the letter]: By portraying cyberspace as a dangerous place for women, positive and encouraging accounts about the constructive and community-building nature of networking for many women have been ignored. Let's hear how young girls are using SchoolNet; how specialized resources such as mailing lists, gophers, and Web sites have been created for and by women academics; how women are using networking in their everyday work practices, from industry to non-profit groups; and how women are taking an active role in creating community networks across Canada. Given recent initiatives to develop information infrastructure platforms in North America, such as Canada's Information Highway Advisory Council, we are now at a crucial juncture in examining and elaborating policies for computer networking, especially that of universal access and participation. It is extremely important that women become cognizant of evolving policy issues in computer networking (economics and management structure, privacy, censorship and freedom of speech issues, copyright and intellectual property questions) and become involved in both policy formulation and implementation. Academics, women in business and industry, those involved in non-profit and grassroots organizations, stay-at-home moms and grandmothers, and their daughters, must all be able to help shape the emerging information "super-highway" before their interests get derailed. ___________________________________________________________ Of course, I later realized that I had gotten my metaphors totally mixed up. Do we get `de-railed' on a highway, or would `side-swiped', `rear-ended' or `missed the on-ramp' be more apt? I won't get into the mis-guided metaphor the `super highway' concept holds here. _Is there equal access in cyberspace?_ Despite the exponential growth of the Internet, and a varied population that is clamoring for access it is generally acknowledged that the Internet contains a larger proportion of men than women. Exactly how many women are online is difficult to ascertain, as it varies according to network provider, and these figures can be contradictory, and it is notoriously difficult to conduct demographic surveys of 'the net', but it is assumed that at the low end, women hover around 10-15% of users, and at the high end, 40-60%. For instance.... *Early results of a recent study on use of the Internet at the University of Toronto conducted by Joan Cherry and Joy Tillotson indicated that users were predominantly male undergraduates who own their own computer and modem. *Preliminary results of a Georgia Tech survey on demographics of the Web user reveal that "the typical user is a 30-year old educated male from North America who works with computers". *The on-going demographic study of the National Capital FreeNet conducted by Drs. Al Black and Andrew Patrick reveals startlingly low figures for female participation; these are echoed by a preliminary demographic study on the Digital City in Amsterdam. _Access: Introduction_ When we refer to access to the information infrastructure, there are many different levels of access to consider. Access to: *the hardware and software to support communications *resource discovery tools to expedite the exploration of the Internet *a user-centred design *a multifarious array of content *network literacy *domestic placement of hardware and software Not all of these access issues reside solely in the female sphere-most of these barriers to access are, unfortunately universal-irrespective of gender, but not of class, economic situation, or educational attainment. This meeting addresses access as it relates to many urban sites: public libraries; educational institutions-K-12, community college, and university; community information centres; community-based `free-nets'; and organizational work situations. The one site it does not directly address is the domestic sphere. It is my contention that-important as it is to discuss the necessity of creating public access network sites-true access and ubiquity will not be attained until networked technology is "easily" and economically brought into the home. And, such domestic ubiquity would significantly increase women's access to the information infrastructure. But I'm not talking about the placement of appliances in the home sponsored by a cornucopia of information providers, and I'm not dazzled by the thought of `interactive' home shopping `on demand'. I don't want to zap my remote control and get a sizzling hot pizza by pressing the `eject' button. As I wrote in my recent comments to the CRTC: "Unfortunately, it would appear that the preponderance of submissions to the CRTC in response to Public Notice 1994- 130 has not considered...public interest issues to be significant. Instead, the business prospects and the managerial implications of the "information superhighway', the highly touted delivery system of the near future that will bring entertainment and communication services to both the domestic and business sector is the focus. Canadians are reduced to mere passive 'consumers' of the products that the telephone, cable, and television industries want to propagate." _Access to the hardware and software to support communications_ Ellen Balka, in examining the use of computer networks by feminists, has written that "perhaps the greatest issue faced by the women's movement with respect to the adoption of computer networking technology is access- to communication constraints imposed by the infrastructure of data lines and value-added carriers...access to the location of networks and terminals: whether they are located in a public place and available for use free of charge as Community Memory terminals were, or whether they are located in a private home or office...and access to the knowledge and related support mechanisms that will allow a novice user to successfully contact a computer network" (Balka, 1993). Access to computer networking for women involves access to both the hardware and the software to support communications. Professional women in the corporate mainstream, or academics and students at colleges and universities where Internet costs are basically "invisible" for them can take advantage of the Internet. Financially- advantaged women can easily subscribe to private online services, such as Prodigy, Delphi, American Online, CompuServe, Echo (East Coast Hang Out), the Well (Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link), Women's WIRE, and the APC (Association for Progressive Communications) networks. On- line costs average 10-20$ (USD) month, plus hourly connect fees of 2-$5 (USD) hour. At this time, most of these networks originate from North America. One of the biggest challenges is widening access to networking for women who are not institutionally affiliated in industry or academia, where access to the hardware and software, plus the training and technical expertise to successfully "navigate the net", is readily available. The penetration of personal computers into the average household is not as high as telecom futurists envisioned. Recent statistics from the Consumer Federation of America show that the United States leads in ownership of personal computers, with 28.1 per 100 people, contrasted to 9.6 and 7.8 for Europe and Japan, respectively (Stix, 1993). In particular, I'm quite encouraged by the movement towards implementing community-based free-nets and the placement of computer terminals in public spaces, such as libraries and community centres, which will hopefully allow those that don't own personal computers to access community networks and partake of local resources, and from there, telnet out into the broader Internet world. As well, community networks are well situated to increase the participation and use of networks by women. It is difficult to speak in generalities about how to do this, since such recruitment tends to be community-specific. Vancouver's Free-Net, for instance, has established a "Task Force for Equal Access", which will help community organizations procure the computers and training to get online by soliciting donations of computers for placement in community centres, such as senior citizen and women's centres. Access to resource discovery tools to expedite the exploration of the information infrastructure "But I can't find what I'm looking for!". This of course is changing with the advent of resource discovery tools like Gopher, Veronica, WAIS, the World Wide Web and a seeming multitude of browsers. An important step is the analysis and design of the integration of Internet information services (see Weider, Deutsch, 1994). _Access to a user-centred design_ Design of the information infrastructure must be easily accessible to the broad population, including people with disabilities. Multiple access methods will be necessary to account for differences in human capacities. Ben Shneiderman wrote, in last Fall's Virtual Public Conference on `Universal Service and Open Access to the Telecommunications Network', November 14-18, 1994, ), sponsored by The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Universal Service Working Group of the Information Infrastructure Task Force (IITF): "For universal access to be a reality, much better interface design plus navigation design, and directories will have to be created". In the Communications of the ACM he recommends that more attention be paid to "identifying appropriate services, designing a consistent user interface, and developing a clearer model of the diverse user communities", and he writes: "what percent of the system will be set aside for innovative public access, community groups, grass roots political organizations, and non-profit agencies? Will job training, community development, and social services be given adequate attention? The poor are already info-poor, but there is a chance for change if the ISH (information super-highway) is universally accessible like current highways or phones". (Shneiderman, 1995). _Access to a multifarious array of content_ Content designed specifically for women-particularly those steeped in academic contexts-is increasing at a substantial pace. Many directories of these resources are available online. As well, in the last few months alone, many Web sites have been developed that deal specifically in issues related to, for instance, women and computing. _Access to network literacy_ Network Literacy (adopted from McClure, 1993). *Knowledge* --awareness of the range and uses of global networked information resources and services --understanding of the role and uses of networked information in problem solving and in performing basic life activities --understanding of the system by which networked information is generated, managed, and made available *Skills* --retrieve specific types of information from the network using a range of information discovery tools --manipulate networked information by combining it with other resources, enhancing it, or otherwise increasing the value of the information for particular situations --use networked information to analyse and resolve both work and personal-related decisions and obtain services that will enhance their overall quality of life _Domestic access_ Frequently, I've been asked by women: `but how can I `surf the net' at home when I have household responsibilities?". Do women indeed have less `leisure time' than men to spend exploring the Internet? Although I know of no real studies on this per se, my hunch is that the concept of `leisure time' is becoming almost archaic, and that certainly more women than men-particularly those with young, typically unruly and rambuctious children-are more responsible for the domestic day-drums. Does this mean that they have less time to take off on Web tangents and participate in discussion groups? My personal experience-and replicated by other women sharing the same chaotic daily life of work, daycare jaunts, and laundry-is that those e-mail exchanges made in between the hellion tearing down the street stark naked except for his bat-cape, or the load of laundry, or the revision of an academic paper-thankfully and gratefully expands our sense of community, well-being, and personal and professional contacts. _Concluding Notes_ How will the information infrastructure effect women's status, and what is its relevance for women? More studies need to be conducted on this, from issues of access in a variety of contexts-the domestic to the workplace-; to issues of content creation; to issues of design; to issues of public policy and gender equity. Janine Morgall proposes that a critical feminist approach to technology assessment (TA) would "address the realities of everyday life, including gender...and other social relations such as domination, the division of labor by sex, and values" (Morgall, 1993, p. 199). She has delineated several questions to assess technology within an actual social context; and when applied to the Internet, the various relevant social groups who have a stake in this technology are revealed. What has been the social shaping of this technology? Although computer networking was originally developed for military applications by the U.S. Department of Defense, early users quickly appropriated the technology for purely social purposes: conversation and game-playing. The original developers of internetworking technology, including groups at XeroxPARC, various universities, and grassroots coalitions, built up the technology to champion socialization and community. Their overriding concern was to make the technology openly accessible to the public, and not confined to a technological priesthood. Who is interested in this technology? Given the eventual commercialization and privatization of the Internet, the current hyperbole surrounding the "information super- highway", and the byzantine business deals it is propagating, we must not forget the public sphere and the voluntary and egalitarian spirit that was the genesis of networked technologies. _Other reading and resources_ Balka, E. (1993, February).'Women's access to on-line discussions about feminism', Electronic Journal of Communications, 3. McClure, Charles. "Network Literacy in an Electronic Society: An Educational Disconnect?", pp. 137-178 in The Knowledge Economy: the nature of information in the 21st century. Annual Review of the Institute for Information Studies, 1993-4, a joint program of Northern Telecom, Inc. and The Aspen Institute. Morgall, J. M. (1993) Technology Assessment: a feminist perspective, Philadelphia: Temple University Press. Shade, Leslie Regan. --"Gender Issues in Computer Networking", pp. 91-105 in Women, Work, Computerization: breaking old boundaries, building new forms. Edited Adam, et.al. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1994. --"Is Sisterhood Virtual: women on the electronic frontier". Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada, Series VI, Vol. V (1994). --Introduction to Guest-Edited Issue of "Gender Issues in Computer Networking", Electronic Journal of Virtual Culture, v.2, n.3, (July 26, 1994). "Whither The Public Interest?": Response to first round submissions in the CRTC Information highway policy consultation, February 12, 1995. Shneiderman, Ben. "The Information Superhighway: for the people". Communications of the ACM, v.38, January 1995 (Inside Risks column). Stix, G. (1993, August) `Domesticating Cyberspace', Scientific American, p.104. Weider, Chris; Deutsch, Peter. " A Vision of an Integrated Internet Information Service". IETF Network Working Group Request for Comments: 1727, December 1994.