Patriarchy, Technology, and Conceptions of Skill

Much of the debate over the deskilling of work has assumed that skill is simply technically derived. Here it is argued that this is a partial view and that the categories for evaluating skill definitions are gender-biased. An adequate understanding of gender inequality at work must take account of both the ideological aspects and the material components of skill. The centrality of men's control of technology to their power in the workplace is discussed. The article concludes that social relations are expressed in and shape technologies themselves and that patriarchal relations are integral to this process.