Communications of the ACM
Researcher Reveals How 'computer Geeks' Replaced 'computer Girls'
Two women wiring the right side of the ENIAC with a new program.
U.S. Army photo from the archives of the ARL Technical Library, courtesy of Mike Muuss.
As late as the 1960s, computer programming was perceived as a natural career choice for savvy young women, explained historian Nathan Ensmenger in a recent speech at Stanford University. For example, Ensmenger noted that a 1967 article in Cosmopolitan magazine titled "The Computer Girls" described programming as one of the best career options for women. The article quoted Grace Hopper, who compared programming to planning a dinner and said women are natural computer programmers.
In then early 1940s, the University of Pennsylvania hired six women to work on its ENIAC machine, one of the world's first electronic computers. Known as the ENIAC girls, they are now celebrated as the world's first computer programmers. However, as the intellectual challenge of writing software gained notoriety, employers began to train more men, comparing the work to male-stereotyped activities such as chess and mathematics.
In the late 1960s, male programmers began to increase the prestige of their field and discourage the hiring of women. Meanwhile, employers started implementing aptitude tests to make hiring decisions, but since the tests focused on mathematical puzzle-solving, they favored men, who were more likely to take math classes in school. Today, stereotypes of anti-social males dominate the programming field, according to Ensmenger, who said that needs to change or women will continue to be left out.
From Stanford University
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