Mann und Maschine

Abstract

Die Herausbildung der modernen Technikwissenschaften vollzog sich nicht zuletzt auch als ein Diskurs über Männlichkeiten. Dass dieser weitaus brüchiger verlief als gemeinhin angenommen, macht dieses Buch deutlich. In ihrer wissenssoziologischen Analyse rekonstruiert Tanja Paulitz unterschiedliche diskursive Praktiken der Vergeschlechtlichung: Diese pendeln zwischen der Neutralisierung des Ingenieurs als »Vernunftwesen« und der Naturalisierung ursprünglich männlicher Produktivität. Entworfen wird einmal der rationale Maschinenwissenschaftler, ein andermal der begabte Mann der Tat - Männlichkeitsbilder, von denen auch das genuine Grundlagenwissen der Technik, wie die technische Mechanik und die Maschinentheorie, nicht unberührt geblieben sind.

Women Engineers on Their Way to Leadership: The Role of Social Support Within Engineering Work Cultures

“…19 Yet German engineers also perceived the need for a demarcation from marginalized constructions of masculinity that are associated with weakness. 20 Engineers drew a heroic picture of the man who, because of his 'natural talent' in technical work, is able to exercise himself as an engineer. 21 This included the notion that an engineer possessed mental and physical attributes with which he could contribute to technical progress.…”

“…In this context, Paulitz points out that the association of men and a natural technical talent resulted in the idea of a 'masculine engineering instinct'. 24 For the engineers the exclusion of women was important, as it allowed them to manifest their supposed superiority and maintain their masculine dominance. 25 The idea that instinctive engineering talent is a masculine trait also has its origin in the social/technical dualism, which represents a pattern for gender-relevant distinctions in engineering culture by associating 'the social' with femininity and 'the technical' with masculinity.…”

“…These norms are the result of the unquestioned belief that took root among German engineers toward the end of the nineteenth century that members of their profession possessed a 'naturally technical masculinity', according to which an engineer had to be male and technically talented. 5 To date, there has been little research on women who stay in engineering and who succeed in occupying leadership positions. Some studies in the UK, the US, and Australia have concluded that women who remain in the profession adapt to the character of engineering fields and come to self-identify with an engineering identity.…”

To whom does the driver's seat belong in the future?

“…Automotive engineering is an interesting field of study for gender studies scholars because of the close connections between men and technology [26], [55], [57], [71] and men and cars [3], [46]. Automated driving systems such as adaptive cruise control, parking assistance, or lane keeping systems, actively support and progressively take over the driver's actions.…”