CAD Systems and the Division of Labour in Knitwear Design
CAD Systems and the Division of Labour in Knitwear Design
Department of Computer Studies, Loughborough University of Technology
MRC Applied Psychology Unit, Cambridge
In
A. Adam, J.Emms, E. Green & J. Owens (eds).
Women, Work and Computerization: Breaking Old Boundaries - Building
New Forms
North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1994, pp 409-422.
Abstract. The design of knitted garments is an activity shared by knitwear designers (who are almost all young and female) and knitting machine technicians (who are almost all male and usually older). The process involves programming knitting machines using CAD systems, which are designed for and used by the technicians. The designers get much less training and access to the CAD systems than they want. This paper examines why this is, and what would be involved in creating a situation where the designers are empowered over the technology of knitwear design. It concludes that the limitations of the technology cause this situation, which is reinforced by economic and attitudinal factors.
Author addresses. | |
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Claudia Eckert
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Martin Stacey
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