Gender, technology and work: understanding patterns in women´s employment in science and technology occupations

From 1970-1990 there was growth in women´s participation in science and engineering fields. However, women´s participation is still substantially less than participation in other professional occupations. Penetration of women in science and technology professions means that, as we enter the next century, women will have minimal access to lucrative and in-demand occupations. Rectifying this requires that we understand the forces producing gender stratification in the workforce. The paper develops a culturally based explanation. The mutually defining discourses about gender, the public/private split, and science/technology function as interlocking filters that channel the vast majority of women away from professional careers in science and technology