KD2GTM Vlog 9: Is there sexism in amateur radio?

The whole book can be downloaded in PDF from this link. I also highly encourage KD2GTM to read it.

http://dlia.ir/Scientific/e_book/Te...900_9971_Electricity_for_Amateurs_/023663.pdf

Pay special attention to Chapter 2, starting about the bottom of page 44.

The women who participated in ham radio clearly had technical interests and skills, or they never could have passed the licensing examination. Yet female hobbyists often dismissed any technical identity, apparently in an attempt to protect femininity. Amelia Black’s debut column in 1946 promised that technical advice would appear only if readers insisted. The first woman profiled there brushed off her own technical knowledge as ‘‘slight,’’ saying she considered herself ‘‘fortunate that there’s always been a brother or a husband to build the equipment and to keep it perking.’’ In the pages of ham magazines, women hobbyists continued to deny their technical engagement and to emphasize feminine practices through the 1970s. In 1976 one female hobbyist wrote, ‘‘Oh, there are a few women here and there who are hams, but they don’t seem to do anything. They just talk.’’ She blamed her own failed attempt to assemble a piece of equipment on child care responsibilities, which she felt were ‘‘part of the reason why women generally accomplish so little in amateur radio.’’

There is much much more there too. It's a fascinating topic to study, waaay over-simplified if condensed into a generational fad classification of an "-ism", IMHO.

73 de John - WØPV

 

Thanks, John. As an amateur sociologist I find this very interesting.

 

Yes, Exactly why I suggested that GTM should read it. No reply. Check this out:



Which started a craze apparently:

http://makezine.com/2012/01/20/how-to_knit_a_morse_code_cowl/
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/morse-code-message-cap

 

FYI allegedly her father and foundation of Prof. Haring's book is W3AXX. He ought to be very proud of his daughters academic accomplishments and those of his famously gifted graphic artist son Keith (RIP).

 

Most ham microphones and SSB crystal filters chop off a lot of female voice frequencies...I guess this will be called sexist also by the dizzies.
OTOH some of the best CW ops are women and by choice, not phony accusations

Here is one of my favorites, Denice Stoops

 

There probably are sexist people in amateur radio just like they exist in a lot of places. I wouldn't necessarily call the scenarios in the video sexism but more stereotyping. A good example of this was at Field Day, my girlfriend who surprised me when she said she wanted to get her license was there and made a few contacts at the GOTA station. After she was talking to one of the guys in the club and he asked her "Are you really interested in amateur radio?". I think he was asking based on the fact that some girlfriends and wives will get licensed but aren't really interested. I didn't think he was being offensive or sexist but my girlfriend certainly took notice as to his surprise.

 

I don't know that I would be so forward, however the same question would be in my mind. I viewed from afar plenty of wives more or less seemingly pressured to get licensed over the years. Even in these forums and other online venues posts exist statements from a (usually) newly licensed op who says that his next task is to get the wife and family licensed. If not pressure, that sounds like at least putting an obligation on her. So, to borrow a phrase, using intelligence guided by experience, I understand why the guy asked the question.

 

I reviewed that book in CQ a while ago. The book was highly regarded in the academic press, and won and award from the IEEE. Many hams did not like it, finding it gloomy or limited. I thought it was a good work of cultural anthropology. IIRC, Keith had a license as well, at least for a time.

 

I loved this book.