Lewis, J. orcid.org/0000-0002-3765-1566 Barriers to women's involvement in hackspaces and makerspaces. Project Report. (Unpublished)
Abstract
This report uses interviews and - in the absence of a substantial body of empirical studies - existing informal research and media in order to elucidate the reasons underlying an observed gender-imbalance in the users of organisations known as `hackspaces' and `makerspaces'. We frame this phenomenon in the wider context of a similar imbalance in the number of girls and women pursuing study and careers in STEM and computing subjects, and the benefits of achieving a more egalitarian community, for the individual, the organisation, and society in general. We identify several distinct `barriers' to engagement, and provide suggestions for possible solutions. In the absence of empirical research, we suggest that organisations wishing to make change to improve the gender-balance of their user base should do so with caution and continuous feedback from their existing and target audiences in order to ensure efficacious change without disruption, and call for more research into this issue to verify or challenge the conclusions which we draw here.
Metadata
Item Type: | Monograph |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2019 The Author. For reuse permissions, please contact the Author. |
Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health (Sheffield) > School of Health and Related Research (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Dr J Lewis |
Date Deposited: | 03 Sep 2019 13:14 |
Last Modified: | 03 Sep 2019 13:20 |
Status: | Unpublished |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:144264 |