TECHNOLOGY AND GENDER

Gender perspectives on travellers’ views and strategies regarding environmental risks and public transport.

The purpose of the project is to investigate how various individuals reflect upon their travelling and environmental risks of travel. Theoretically, the aim is to explore the link between gender studies and studies of mobility, as a means of understanding men’s and women’s views of their travelling in relation to environmental impacts of travel. Examples of research questions are: How do people construct gender in conversations about travelling and the environment? Which are the arguments and considerations involved in individuals’ reflections about environmental risks of travel? How can these reflections be understood in relation to (re)productions of gender?

This is a doctoral project and a co-operation between the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute and the Department of Thematic Studies – Technology and Social Change, Linköping University, during the period of 2008-2012. The project is funded by the Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems, the National Road Administration and the Swedish Rail Administration within the research programme “Passenger Transport in the Future”.

Contact: Emmy Dahl

Brain desires: neuroimaging of human sexuality 1988-2008

Brain scans of homosexuality and images of male and female brains have become a common element of popular scientific news. How is sexuality re-described and re-produced when studied in brain scanners?

brain desires explores the cultural production of sexuality in the growing field of neuroimaging research (i.e. imaging of brain activity) and in the Swedish media.
In focus is what I coin neuroframing of sexuality, i.e. the cultural process by which sexuality becomes understood as a matter of brain activity, contained within the brain and visualizable with medical imaging technologies. brain desires may then described as a critical investigation of the neuroframing of human sexuality in the last two decades.

This project is a cooperation with Ingeborg Svensson (Umeå University), Anelis Kaiser (Basel University, Switzerland), and the Centre for Gender Research, Uppsala University, where it was originally developed. Start 2009.

Contact: Isabelle Dussauge

Gender and technology within a technology education

The aim of the project is to analyze how teachers, administrative authorities, the public and politicians speak about technology and technology education in relation to gender. The project lasts från
2005 to 2010, and is funded by the Swedish Research Council.

Contact: Merith Fröberg

Learning emotion management – identity work, emotions and community of practice among midwives

The project is part of a larger study focusing on vocations within emotionally intense environments. The aim of this project is to study emotion management and identity work of “becoming a midwife” as part of learning a professional culture. More specifically, studying the process of midwifery students learning to manage the emotions they express and emotions of others according to feeling rules within their profession. The learning process of emotion management and a professional attitude is studied in relation to midwives’ experience based bodily knowledge (for example when the midwifery students learn to use their hands when examining a pregnant woman) and the technical skills (how midwifery students learn to manage technology use within maternity care). The project, which is financed by Vetenskapsrådet, started in 2008 and will continue until 2012.

Contact: Jenny Gleisner

Thinking and working across borders - actors, processes and institutional barriers to cross-sectoral energy planning

.How can possible synergies arise when actors and processes in related sectors actively interact with the purpose to converse the energy supply and energy use? What can the consequences of not working across sectoral borders be? Can different regional and local planning practices even be counteracting? I will study energy and transportation planning requirements, conditions and everyday practices in selected Swedish municipalities and regions.

As a gender scientist I want to understand how planning is related to constructions of masculinity and femininity and what impact planning practices might have on women and men. Since my project will focus on transport and energy planning an important part of my thesis will be to identify planning areas linked to notions of gender. What are the implications for women and men when planning strengthens masculinity and femininity? Can a transport or energy system be regarded as gender equal if it reinforces traditional perceptions of masculinity and femininity? Is it possible to plan in alternative ways, thus allowing planners to question gendered relations?

The project is financed by the Swedish Energy Agency.

Contact: Malin Henriksson

Gender relations and occupational relations in the Swedish Armed Forces

Contact: Alma Persson

Doing “Big Science” – Doing Gender?

This project explores gendered aspects of the organization and management of, and participation in, international research networks and European research projects in science and technology. It focuses on gendered practices of inclusion and exclusion and gendered patterns of research careers. Drawing on the results from the European research project PROMETEA (Empowering Women Engineers in Industrial and Academic Research), the following research question is constructed as relevant and worth investigating: Do women and men have the same opportunity to establish a successful scientific career in engineering and technology when more and more emphasis is put on mobility, networking and “excellence”?

This project started in September 2009 and will continue until July 2013.

Contact: Helen Peterson