On Being the Right Sex: Discrimination by Design in the Built and the Product Environment

Abstract

The field study reported here investigated the various ways in which women are handicapped and constrained in their behavior, or socially discomforted by the design of common objects and places. The survey showed that most “discrimination by design” was due to failures of ergonomics, environmental interaction effects with feminine dress and biology, or being placed on unwanted display. Women evidenced a remarkable variety of ingenious and casual adaptations to these circumstances — most of which are avoidable through sensitive human factors design. The ubiquity of objects and settings that place women at a disadvantage and the relative lack of awareness of these effects suggest that such conditions will persist for a long time.

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