A new study has explored the changing gendered boundaries between women working within the field of technology in Taiwan.
Taiwan is a leading country for technological innovation, but women have been largely under-represented in this field.
The study, conducted by Ya-Hsuan Wang from the Institute of Education, National Chung Cheng University, made several findings, including that single-sex schools are advantageous for women’s pursuit of careers in the technology fields.
Wang also found that school empowerment and family support were key factors for women’s continued success in the technology industry.
Across the data, three aspects of women’s gendered subjectivities and experiences were attributed to their success: adopting masculine personal interests, family support, and school empowerment.
Through these factors the authors suggested that women could subvert gendered boundaries and gain power within the field of technology. Many of the females in the study reported success through their ability to transform their feminine traits and interests into masculine ones.
Participants attributed their success to a preference for masculine interests and traits, which included thinking and understanding to memorising or recitation, and preferring reading natural scientific mystery books to romantic fictions – traits that are stereotypically associated with masculinity.
The Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasia (AGSA) executive director, Loren Bridge, said the study has implications for single-sex schools in Australia.
“This is yet another study that reaffirms the positive role that girls’ schools and all-female environments play in encouraging women into STEM fields – and this is vital for the future economy of the country,” Bridge told The Educator.
“If we had more girls’ schools in Australia we could see an increase in the number of women taking up careers in STEM.”