Making Change: Can Ethnographic Research about Women Makers Change the Future of Computing?

Abstract

Two ethnographers from different parts of the same technology company set out to explore the role of women and girls in the worldwide maker movement. We wanted to know who is currently participating in the maker phenomenon, how they became makers, what motivates them to continue making, what kinds of things they make, and what their hopes are for the future. Most importantly, we investigated why women are underrepresented in the realm of tech making with the explicit goal of being change agents and triggers of transformation both within our company and in the broader technology landscape.

‘Making’ as a Catalyst for Engaging Young Female Adolescents in STEM Learning

“…In particular, making has the potential to engage youth who may not self-identify as 'good at science,' in STEM learning through the creation of innovative and personally meaning objects (i.e., product-oriented learning) [41]. Further, when STEM knowledge and skills are introduced in an environment of 'making' in a setting of hands-on, art, craft, or design activities, there is evidence that female adolescents, who often approach making from an esthetic or personal expression perspective, may become more engaged in STEM learning [24,42].…”

“…Here, then, STEM learning is cast as experiential and enjoyable because it is designed to be engaging and to build upon girls' interests and identities and/or to connect STEM learning to everyday, real-life contexts [28,36,42]. Fashion FUNdamentals and Digital Youth Divas, in particular, adapt the lens of making from an esthetic and personal expression perspective to entice girls to engage with STEM learning [24,42].…”

“…With this chapter, we address the potential of making to serve as a catalyst for engaging young female adolescents in STEM learning. More specifically, we explore how STEM-based making may encourage young female adolescents, who often approach making from an esthetic or personal expression perspective [24], to more fully embrace and integrate systems and technologies that foster creative and critical thinking, innovative prototyping, and problem-solving into the learning process. Additionally, we present insights as to how STEM-based making designed specifically for young female adolescents-a group that has traditionally had limited access to extracurricular STEM experiences as well as to makerspaces owing to age, gender, and socioeconomic status [25,26]-may foster greater access to, and equity in, STEM learning.…”

Designing a Makerspace for Pre- and In-Service Teachers

“…To address these needs for community and mentorship, it may be helpful to organize a "women's only" making night or to establish an online support community where women can share their experiences and exhibit their products (Bean et al, 2015). Research also suggests that women are more concerned with making that has a social impact or to see technology as a "means to an end, " rather than as an end in itself (Faulkner & McClard, 2014). Therefore, incorporating workshops or projects that require collaboration, address a social need, solve a problem, and/or is project focused may help to engage more women.…”

Using A Modularity Analysis to Determine Tool and Student Roles within Maker Spaces

“…Spaces that are loud, dusty, and disorganized can deter potential makers [17]. Narrow definitions of what is making, which do not include the more nontechnical creative areas like arts and crafts, has been identified in studies [14,15,18]. Gender imbalances in makerspaces can discourage women [18].…”