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C00002 00002	TECHNOLOGY AND THE SOCIAL POSITION OF WOMEN
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TECHNOLOGY AND THE SOCIAL POSITION OF WOMEN


	The successes of the women's liberation movement in equalizing
the social roles of men and women have been limited.  Some think that
more push will do it, and others think that role differentiation is
biologically determined.  In this section, we explore what can be done
technologically to give women more opportunities to combine career and
family.

	Since the beginning of the century many women have successfully
combined career and family.  Many others have tried it with results
they found unsatisfactory.  Not to forget that many men have found
the results of their career efforts unsatisfactory, and the causes
of dissatisfaction are often inaccurately identified.

	Such success as has been achieved depends on a combination
of personal energy, ability, favorable job situation, co-operation from the
woman's husband and good fortune.  It seems to me that the first
factor may be the most important in present society.  Only women
with a lot more than average energy manage the combination, and
exhortations to others to be more energetic are unlikely to achieve
much.

	New technology can help the situation in the following ways:

	#. Automatic delivery can eliminate most of the time spent
shopping and reduce the consequences of failure to accurately plan
shopping.

	#. Automatic cars or personal flying machines can increase
the distance at which commuting is feasible and reduce time to
commute present distances.  This increases the probability that
a person of fixed residence can find a suitable job.  This is more
important for women than for men, because they often return to the
labor market after an absence.  It also reduces the probability
that a woman will give up a good job because of her husband's job.
Better airplane service could make inter-city commuting more
feasible.

	#. Technology that will make it possible for children to
be safe without close supervision will free women's time.

	#. Automatic cars will reduce the problem of chauffeuring
children.

	#. Remote computer terminals will permit many kinds of
clerical work to be done at home.  There are social and
institutional obstacles as well as technological.  For instance,
for a long time it has been technologically feasible for telephone
information operators and some kinds of reservation clerks to work
at home.