Women's Studies 30

Analysis of Computer Magazines

In the article "Integrated Circuits/Segregated Labor: Women in Computer-Related Occupations and High-Tech Industries," the author notes the representation of women in computer magazines. Since the article is over 10 years old, the class became interested in the representation of women in current computer magazines. Below is our table representing our counts for various publications, with each number representing the number of photographs or article authors, "Male" meaning all male figures, "Female" all female figures, "Both" meaning both male and female figures, and "Neuter" meaning undetermined gender or children. Obviously we had to infer gender from the names of authors, since we had no other way of easily determining this.

Magazine Issue

Photographs

Article Authors

Overall Critique

Circuit Cellar Ink, Oct. 1998

8 Male
3 Female
0 Both
0 Neuter

11 Males
1 Female
1 Neuter

The magazine is extremely technical, not reader friendly, not many pictures, not for an uneducated reader, more of a "male" feeling to it.

Family PC, Sept. 1998

30 Male
12 Female
29 Both
9 Neuter

29 Male
17 Female
0 Both
2 Neuter

Letters to the editor: 19 male, 18 female, 4 neuter.

kid/family oriented (not tech-text), rather evenhanded treatment of men/women, female Editor in Chief.

Java Report, Sept. 1998

25 Male
3 Female
2 Both
0 Neuter

15 Male
0 Female
0 Both
0 Neuter

5 Male, 7 Female names listed on Editorial staff masthead.

Very technical magazine, photos careful to show women active.

Maximum PC, Sept. 1998

81 Male
37 Female
9 Both
25 Neuter

15 Male
2 Female
0 Both
0 Neuter

swimsuit cover, sexist analogy between "sexiness" of laptop and presumed desirable characteristics of girlfriend

PC World, Sept. 1998

120 Male
39 Female
27 Both
9 Neuter

37 Male
13 Female
0 Neuter

Letters to the Editor: 14 Male, 2 Female, 2 neuter.

Magazine didn't seem gendered, equal emphasis on men and women in text.

Software Development, July 1998, Vol. 6, No. 7

15 Male
1 Female
3 Both
6 Neuter

11 Male
1 Female
0 Both
0 Neuter

Almost all the people portrayed were white. Not many advertisements/pictures of people. Audience appears to be corporate professionals (mostly men).

C/C++ Users Journal,Sept. 1998

12 Male
0 Female
3 Both
2 Neuter

10 Male
0 Female
0 Both
0 Neuter

Q&A/letters to the editor: 9 male, 0 female, 1 undetermined gender

Wired, October 1998

80 Male
15 Female
17 Both
10 Neuter

67 Male
26 Female
0 Both
7 Neuter

Letters to the Editor: 9 Male, 1 Female, 0 Both, 0 Neuter.

Editorial board masthead: 57 Male, 16 Female (including Ed. in Chief), 2 undetermined gender

Click here for detailed comments.

Overall it would appear that computer magazines still have significant majorities of men in their photographs and among their writers, but there are women in positions of power on the Editorial boards. The depictions of women seem to be less passive and more empowered than they were 10 years ago.


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