5) As technology has progressed, so too has women's quest for equality in all aspects of their lives. How has technology influenced women and their respective roles in society?
Males have traditionally been thought to be intellectually superior to females, and studies conducted in the past attribute enhanced male scientific ability to biology, reinforcing this theory by claiming that the majority of scientists are indeed male. The question of why so few female scientist existed was not thoroughly addressed until well into the 1970's.
Since the 1920's women have pushed for educational equality among both sexes by encouraging women to enter the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) early, starting in elementary and high school; offering research programs for women at the nation's top universities; and boasting greater financial aid to those pursuing graduate education. When researching the claims of biologically based gender differences, scientists found several flaws, including those in sociobiology, brain lateralization, psychology, and primatology ("Science and Gender"). Although science has been a predominantly male field, a greater number of women are now able to participate, especially due to access to the Internet, which enables individuals to learn while simultaneously fulfilling traditional obligations.
It is interesting to compare the effects of technology on the lives of Lenina and Linda in Brave New World. On the one hand, Lenina, who was raised in a highly advanced, "civilized" world, is a direct product of technology itself, as she was produced from a bottle and works alongside the mesh of other Alphas, Betas, Gammas, etc. in the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre to control that same bottling process. She is highly regarded among men, admired for her "pneumatic" qualities, and acts as any civilized woman should in the society in which Huxley describes. On the other hand, Linda, although also produced from a bottle, has been accidentally cast out of society and forced to live on a "Savage Reservation," which is completely devoid of any technological sophistication. She is forced to revert to a more primal form of living, but, having been accustomed to a life of luxury, she yearns to return to her previous lifestyle, dependent upon the technology that nurtured her development. Thus, although technology fosters advancement among women, it may also lead to an unhealthy sense of dependency that could prove detrimental to the stability of society if it were to lose its touch with what technology is currently available.
Nonetheless, women in modern society are on the forefront of technological advancement, raising their status as equals to males as time progresses in series with new developments. Not only has Huxley caught on to this concept, but so too have other authors, who have portrayed strong female characters.
The fictional female hacker in Steig Larsson's The Girl Who Played with Fire may portend a real life trend. Indeed, with boys falling behind girls in a variety of academic fields in developed countries, we may expect calls for reverse affirmative action. (Etzkowitz, Gupta 84)
Larsson's Lisbeth Salander (inspired herself by Pippi Longstocking), is a strong character whose female presence emphasizes the ever-closing social gap between men and women, as women strive to be taken more seriously in all aspects of life, especially in the workplace.
Since the 1920's women have pushed for educational equality among both sexes by encouraging women to enter the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) early, starting in elementary and high school; offering research programs for women at the nation's top universities; and boasting greater financial aid to those pursuing graduate education. When researching the claims of biologically based gender differences, scientists found several flaws, including those in sociobiology, brain lateralization, psychology, and primatology ("Science and Gender"). Although science has been a predominantly male field, a greater number of women are now able to participate, especially due to access to the Internet, which enables individuals to learn while simultaneously fulfilling traditional obligations.
It is interesting to compare the effects of technology on the lives of Lenina and Linda in Brave New World. On the one hand, Lenina, who was raised in a highly advanced, "civilized" world, is a direct product of technology itself, as she was produced from a bottle and works alongside the mesh of other Alphas, Betas, Gammas, etc. in the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre to control that same bottling process. She is highly regarded among men, admired for her "pneumatic" qualities, and acts as any civilized woman should in the society in which Huxley describes. On the other hand, Linda, although also produced from a bottle, has been accidentally cast out of society and forced to live on a "Savage Reservation," which is completely devoid of any technological sophistication. She is forced to revert to a more primal form of living, but, having been accustomed to a life of luxury, she yearns to return to her previous lifestyle, dependent upon the technology that nurtured her development. Thus, although technology fosters advancement among women, it may also lead to an unhealthy sense of dependency that could prove detrimental to the stability of society if it were to lose its touch with what technology is currently available.
Nonetheless, women in modern society are on the forefront of technological advancement, raising their status as equals to males as time progresses in series with new developments. Not only has Huxley caught on to this concept, but so too have other authors, who have portrayed strong female characters.
The fictional female hacker in Steig Larsson's The Girl Who Played with Fire may portend a real life trend. Indeed, with boys falling behind girls in a variety of academic fields in developed countries, we may expect calls for reverse affirmative action. (Etzkowitz, Gupta 84)
Larsson's Lisbeth Salander (inspired herself by Pippi Longstocking), is a strong character whose female presence emphasizes the ever-closing social gap between men and women, as women strive to be taken more seriously in all aspects of life, especially in the workplace.