TECHNOLOGY AND MASCULINITY - THE CASE OF THE COMPUTER

The article deals with the question of whether technology is a symbol of masculinity, thus affecting women's relationships to technology by being a conservative force within the sexual division of labour. The q uestion became more complicated after the computer took over as the sy mbol of technology - lacking connotations such as 'big, strong and hea vy', but rather appearing in a feminine guise. A case study of a modem service company reveals how different groups of men and one group of women react to computers. It is found that the computer as a symbol ma y hold certain masculine connotations, but it can hardly support a tra ditional working-class masculinity.