Are all engineers men? Are all preschool teachers women? This is the stere- otypical image you get if you perform an image search for different profes- sions on the internet. Now a … read morenew browser extension called Re-Search is being launched, which gives men and women more equal space in the search results. Swedish technology company Semcon is behind the solution, and they are mak- ing Re-Search available free of charge and as open source software. When you perform an image search of professions with Re-Search, an alterna- tive search is done in parallel to make the results more gender balanced. The alternative search results are presented in a new window where pictures that would otherwise end up further down are brought forward. Semcon’s aim is that the engineering profession will become attractive to a wider range of people. Many women work as engineers today, but they do not appear in search results. Re-Search was developed in order to provide a concrete solution to the problem, by giving a more balanced view of various professions. These include those that are dominated by both men and women on the internet. Re-Search is free and works with the most popular browsers. When it is launched, the solution will be able to manage 65 different professions in English. Re-Search is also available as open source software to encourage individuals and companies to develop the product further in more ways that stimulate a greater gender balance.
read less...
