The Women* Who Made It: Experiences from Being a Woman* at a Maker Festival

Nathalia Campreguer França, Dorothé Smit, Stefanie Wuschitz and Verena Fuchsberger
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Nathalia Campreguer França: Center for Human-Computer Interaction, University of Salzburg, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
Dorothé Smit: Center for Human-Computer Interaction, University of Salzburg, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
Stefanie Wuschitz: Institut für Philosophie, Literatur-, Wissenschafts- und Technikgeschichte, Technische Universität Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany
Verena Fuchsberger: Center for Human-Computer Interaction, University of Salzburg, 5020 Salzburg, Austria

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 16, 1-24

Abstract: This paper examines the profile of 10 women* makers attending Schmiede, a 10-day maker festival, which is unique not least due to its almost equal gender distribution. Drawing on interviews with women* attendees, we describe general struggles in fitting in the culture of spaces for making, the role of mentorship in childhood and adulthood, motivations and different approaches for engaging in making, limiting factors in (art-)making, and the consequences of sexism for making practice. We then discuss the characteristics of these women* makers in relation to existing literature about the culture in maker spaces and festivals and conclude by highlighting characteristics of the observed festival that may have resulted in more inclusive access for women* and other underrepresented groups.

Keywords: makerspaces; maker culture; gender (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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