Gender script

A gender script is a concept in feminist studies of science and technology refers to how designers' ideas about gendered identities and relationships translate into the design and use of technical artifacts. It comes from science and technology scholar Steve Woolgar's notion of "configuring the user", where designers and advertisers struggle to define, enable, and constrain users in particular ways. It also comes from science and technology scholar Madeline Akrich's concept of "script", which illustrates how designers ideas about users influence development, and how that use shapes users' environments.

As science and technology scholar Ellen van Oost writes, "gender can be an explicit or implicit element in the design process". When products are specifically designed for a specific gendered group of consumers, gender is often explicit. In explicit cases, existing or stereotypical ideas about gender will show up in technical artifacts. Children's toys are one example. In cases where the gender script is explicit, toys designed for girls will be pink and toys designed for boys will be blue. Another example Oost gives is of razors and other shaving products, which tend to be pink or white for women, and darker for men—even though both products work virtually the same. Other technological examples include pink earphones for women, pink computers, and even pink guns. Pinterest is another example. In their article investigating the gender script of the site, scholars Amanda Friz Robert Gehl demonstrate how specific aspects of the site is geared toward women, especially during the sign-up process .

In implicit processes, the gender politics will be less obvious. As van Oost notes, many objects are designed for "everybody", with no specific user group in mind . However, some studies have demonstrated that even in these cases, there may be an unconscious bias where designers base their choices on a one-sided, default male user image. This can be due to many factors. One can be the result of who is involved in design and engineering. On teams where men are the majority, they may use the I-methodology, where they only see themselves as the intended users. This can create a bias toward male-oriented symbols and interests. This can also happen at the level of user testing if the user testers are all male and nobody considers the user needs of all potential users. By configuring the user as "everybody", technology can therefore only represent the interests of dominant social groups. An example of this could be the design of Wikipedia. With the majority of Wikipedia's engineers and editors being men who have technical skills, the design of the user interface can unintentionally make it more difficult for people from different social groups to contribute . This can result in an underrepresentation of diverse viewpoints, skewing the comprehensiveness of data available.

Like gender, however, the gender script is not fixed but is constantly negotiated. Users do not have to accept the scripts but can also reject or adapt it. At the same time, however, scripts tend to act in inviting or inhibiting ways for those who wish to resist them .