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The barrier to women’s entrepreneurial success is backgrounded. There is a notable silence or exclusion in these textbooks as to the unequal access to finance opportunities that women are faced with, which serves as a possible barrier to entrepreneurial success. There is a noticeable difference in the case studies of male and female entrepreneurs’ experience in the process of accessing finance.
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invention or development – yet Chris did not create the intranet, rather he decided to use it in the company. This adds to Chris’s status in the usage of technology.
The statement although it took some time, many staff were trained reflects aggregation. Readers are not given information on how the actual numbers were trained, who was trained and the reasons why it took ‘some time to train them’. No elaboration is provided on these statements, giving the impression that the authors mention them superficially. This absence of elaboration on aspects presented in the text adds to the foregrounding of Chris as competent and innovative in the usage of technology (intranet). The assumption created by this new innovative technology guarantees successful internal communications serves to strengthen the degree of certainty of the success of the intranet, although there is no factual proof or assurance of this. Potential readers could assume that because Chris is portrayed as a successful CEO his opinions are taken as legitimated truths. There are certain aspects of knowledge that the author wants to downplay, for example the risks involved in over- reliance on technology.
Page 123 of the South African textbook:
Kodak’s chairperson and chief executive officer, Antonio M Perez was praised for his digital revolution. Perez joined the company in 2003. He led the worldwide transformation of Kodak from a film-based company to one based primarily on digital technologies. In the last six years, Antonio has introduced an array of new digital technologies and products for consumers that generated more than R48 billion in revenue.
This case study again uses an honorific to positively highlight Perez’s status and hence abilities.
His occupation suggests a degree of seniority that requires a degree of respect and because of his occupation potential readers may assume that the text is factual. He led the worldwide transformation of Kodak creates the assumption that he is very successful internationally.
However, the absence of how he achieved his success creates a distorted picture. The register of words used like ‘introduced’ and ‘generated’ feeds into the image of Perez’s successful usage of technology. Profit making is also presented as the outcome of his ‘digital revolution’, although there is uncertainty of the exact amount: more than 48 billion in revenue.
On page 70 of the Zimbabwean textbook Rashid Aoza is described as the Managing Director of Garden Crafts:
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The company manufactures and sells garden furniture. The business has been very successful since Rashid introduced online sales. The new technology is having a big impact on the business as sales have improved. Rashid has excellent vision for the company.
Nominalisation is evidenced in the text: The company manufactures and sells garden furniture.
People are removed and therefore responsibility for their action has been removed. Companies do not manufacture and sell furniture, people do. There seems to be an attempt by the author to background certain aspects. This ideological backgrounding is significant since the focus of the author is to foreground Rashid and his success. The text the business has been very successful since Rashid introduced online sales creates the impression that prior to the introduction of online sales the company was not progressing well. An impression is created here of Rashid being the reason for the company’s improvement, due to introduction of the
‘new technology’. This contributes to the stereotypical assumption of men as more technologically competent.
In comparison, the next page of the Zimbabwean textbook (p. 71) represented women as physically doing sales (Figure 6.11).
Figure 6.11: Representation of women as physically attempting to make sales of beauty products(Zimbabwe, p. 71)
The text that accompanied Figure 6.11 is as follows: A group of employees took to the street to market beauty products. They had semi structured questions to help them sell, improve and reinvent certain products. Although there is silence on the gender of these employees, the visual representation shows women engaging with consumers.
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What is glaringly obvious in these two representations are the differences in marketing. Unlike Rashid, who used online sales, these women were doing sales by word of mouth, which requires a lot of work. They are marketing beauty products, which represents a typical feminine occupation. The employees in the above photo have to physically approach customers and ask questions.
The analysis above serves to iterate the stereotypical assumption of men as more technologically competent than women are. Again, there is the danger that pupils may internalise these social beliefs and values that perpetuate, reinforce and reify technology as masculine.
The visual representation in the Lesotho textbook (p. 259) further reinforces the stereotypical assumption of men as technologically astute (Figure 6.12).
Figure 6.12: Stereotypical assumption of men as technologically astute(Lesotho, p. 259) This figure depicts a man as technologically advanced, confidently using PowerPoint in making a presentation at work. Throughout the textbook, there was an absence of women using PowerPoint or any other technological device in making a presentation. This representation sends the message to learners that in the field of technology men are more competent, innovative and knowledgeable than women.
In the Swaziland textbook (p. 359), men are again visually foregrounded as technologically astute (Figure 6.13).
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Figure 6.13: “Technology has allowed business to reach new markets” (Swaziland, p. 359) The explanation accompanying the picture reads, Technology has allowed businesses to reach new markets, both locally and internationally. For example, suppose you want to buy a book that is not available in Swaziland.
The text technology has allowed business to reach new markets shows the removal of the agent and nominalisation. A passivized verb is use to conceal the agent. Concealing the agent serves to strengthen the degree of factuality in the usage of technology. The use of the word will also show the degree of certainty that the writers have on this issue of technology. The text firmly advocates trade on a global scale, and simplistically states that technology makes it possible.
An assumption is also made that competing in the global economy is a desirable and sought- after objective for greater wealth accumulation, yet there is complete silence on the consequences of globalisation.
Once again, a male is presented as using the technology. The depiction appears to associate men with technology, with an absence of women using technology, which is likely to entrench a taken for granted assumption that men are technologically astute.