Analyzing My Audience

Now I will consider questions people should consider when thinking about the context of a text.

What values, ideas, norms, beliefs, even laws of the culture play an important role in the text?
I think the main ideas in the text are equity and meritocracy. Obviously these are two very idealistic constructs but the entire goal of the text is to move us towards actual equity and meritocracy. But if we come back to the real world, then it becomes apparent that a lot of the modernized norms where women are expected to stay in domestic circles are the ones doing the most harm. These play the most important role because we have to break down these norms and these ideologies in order to give women the fighting chance that they deserve. There are even laws geared at equal opportunity in the workplace, but none of them have proven to be very effective.

Does the text address these cultural values, beliefs, etc., directly or indirectly?
The text directly and indirectly addresses these values. Julie states repeatedly that workers should be judged based off of their work ethic and the quality of their work rather than pre-judged based on gender. However she also provides some examples that indirectly address these issues so that they're relevant on an everyday level.

What is the relationship of the text to the values, beliefs, etc.? Is it critical of these aspects of the culture? Is it supportive? Does it seek to modify these aspects of the culture in a certain way?
It is definitely critical, if not directly in opposition, of these aspects of the culture. The goal of the text is to modify these aspects of our culture and make the engineering, tech, and startup fields more accessible for women. Obviously she supports men doing well too, but not if the men are doing well because they are men rather than because they worked for it and added value to their groups. It's important to understand this when reading the text because it means we should be aware that there may be another side to this story that we aren't hearing (although I think the other side would be considered offensive and outdated).


*note: the shark picture is because sharks are viewed tons of different ways based on context and cultural values. for instance, compare this article to this article about a recent shark encounter.