Working Out the Kinks

Distraught by my gameplay in Second Life, I could not believe how limited the workforce was in a virtual world that is supposedly limitless, I decided to discuss some of the factors that go into today’s evolving workforce. In Second Life, if one was not a web designer or at least 30-days old (which in my head I made equivalent to college degrees and high school diplomas respectively) any job is actually almost impossible to get. This is especially true if one identifies as female in the game. Women are really limited mostly to dancing and “escorting,” most of the managerial and security positions go to men.

I then thought about how technology not only limits women’s work in games but how in real life this is the reason for many women not getting jobs or promotions which otherwise they would deserve. The PowerPoint slideshow will share the rest.

Notes for the slideshow, to move to the next slide click on the arrow that looks like a fast-forward symbol on DVD players. You might also want to watch it full screen by clicking the symbol of four arrows pointing away from each other, which can be found in the bottom right hand corner of the frame.

And since my hyperlinks won’t work on this format, here are the works I have cited. All are from the New York Times.
On slide 7: “Helping Women Reach Their Potential in Math.” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/jobs/19math.html
On slide 8: “Math Scores Show No Gap for Girls, Study Finds.” http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/25/education/25math.html
On slide 10: “Where Are the New Jobs for Women?” http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/09/opinion/09hirshman.html