from webgrrls to digitaleve

the gendered practice of
women's technology work and organization

This dissertation was successfully defended in February, 2002, to complete the requirements for my Ph.D. in Women's Studies. It can be downloaded in Acrobat Reader (.pdf) format. I'd love to receive your comments and feedback on it. Huge thanks to all the women who generously shared their experiences and insights, and volunteered their time to the project. I couldn't have done it without your kindness and enthusiasm. Special props to the very swell Jen Evans, Director of DigitalEve Canada, who went above and beyond the call of duty in assisting me with this.

All material is © Krista Scott-Dixon 2002.


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Preface

Chapter 1: Introduction

    Identification of problem and central question
    Outline of study
    Notes on style

Chapter 2: Theorizing women and technology

    Defining technology
    Overview of literature on women and technology
    Three gender and technology models
    Feminist responses to technology

Chapter 3: Theorizing women and work

    Introduction and central theoretical stance
    Paid and unpaid labour
    Industrial and occupational segregation
    Salary disparity
    Employment practices, nonstandard work, and self-employment
    Skill and training
    Women and unions
    Shifts in the organization of women's work with technology
    Women and IT work: looking ahead

Chapter 4: Theorizing women's organizing

    Overview: women's organizations, feminist organizations
    Organizing in the non-profit sector
    Organizational values and mandate
    Organizational structure
    Organizational strategy

Chapter 5: Methodology and introduction to primary data

    Qualitative versus quantitative methodology
    Application to social change
    Researcher-subject relationship
    Choosing variables
    Population studied

Chapter 6: DigitalEve and technology

    DigitalEve members as technology users
    Technical education
    The convoluted path to technical work
    A technology of their own
    Role of DigitalEve in relation to women and technology
    Critiquing IT work, culture, and organization

Chapter 7: DigitalEve and work

    DigitalEve members as workers
    Paid and unpaid labour
    Industrial and occupational segregation
    Salary disparity
    Employment practices, nonstandard work, and self-employment
    Skill and training

Chapter 8: DigitalEve, women, and organizations

    DigitalEve and the nonprofit sector
    Voluntary labour and women's unpaid labour
    Organizational values and mandate
    Organizational structure
    Organizational strategy
    The virtual organization

Chapter 9: An organization in transition: Webgrrls is dead, long live DigitalEve

    Introduction
    The process of change
    Developing values
    Developing structure
    Developing strategy

Chapter 10: Conclusion

Bibliography of Sources

    Appendix A: Demographics of Interview Population

    Appendix B: DigitalEve Toronto Membership Poll Results