Technology today has reached the pinnacle of success in terms of gadgets. We have Zoom, Microsoft teams, Skype, and many other easily accessible soft wares to help us connect with the world. Back then, there was the telephone, which, though had been a big deal at that time, was considered somewhat feminine.
The origin of the telephone
The telephone was invented in 1876. Before that, people had been writing letters in order to connect with their loved ones. When the telephone was invented, it had been a great advancement of that time, which paved the way for many more successful discoveries.
Some people still considered technology to be feminine even before the discovery of the telephone. One reason was that women found it comparatively easier to use and handle technology. They were considered to be perfectly trained in such matters.
Why did the discrimination occur?
The class difference was a prominent factor back then. But besides that, people also discriminated between how a man and how a woman used to behave, act and speak. It was thought that women were generally better talkers than men.
Women were considered to have a better accent and pronunciation. They had more control over how they spoke over the phone. They had a better understanding of how to carry on a conversation rather than men.
Men, on the other hand, had difficulty speaking on the phone. They were not clear with their words and comprehending them was a difficult task. The difference in dialects was a leading factor in speech. It was later concluded that institutions at that time, gave lessons to women regarding their speech and accent which aided them in speaking.
It was even rumored that when a man wanted to know how well a woman was, it was advised to speak to the applicants over the phone. A wife was selected on such a basis.
Was discrimination a good thing in favor of women?
History suggests that the telephone was one of the most major discoveries that changed the way people advanced in the field of technology. The discrimination though highlighted women in the superior end, wasn’t always the case.
A few people thought the women were in terms ‘feminizing’ the telephone. What they meant was that women lacked the knowledge to understand how important the use of the telephone was. They thought women were exploiting the telephone for their own selfish gains, using it to talk about pointless topics and gossips.
In conclusion, it was a gender stereotype that was being used in terms of exploitation.
Technology and Gender today
As advancements in the field of technology began to flourish, so did the mindset of people. Though gender discrimination is still vibrant in some parts of the world, in technology, however, it can be seen that both genders work side by side.
Women can be seen to succeed in every field alongside men and some cases, even better than them. They have on running men in almost every field of life and some see it as an inspiration rather than competition.
No one badmouths women for advancing in terms of health, technology, education, or any other district which is something that should be appreciated and carried out for the later generations.
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