WOMEN IN COMPUTING

Global concerns about current and future roles of women in computing occupations gained more importance with the emerging information age. These concerns motivated public policy debates addressing gender equality as computer applications exerted increasing influence in society. This dialog helped to expand information technology innovations and to reduce the unintended consequences of perceived sexism.

Contents

Famous women in computing

Issues regarding women in computing (USA)

Gender theory and women in computing

Organizations for women in computing

See also

Footnotes

References

External links

Famous women in computing

★ Ada Lovelace (1815-1852), promoter of Charles Babbage's analytical engine

★ Grace Hopper (1906-1992), first programmer for the Mark I Calculator

★ Kay McNulty, Betty Snyder, Marlyn Wescoff, Ruth Lichterman, Betty Jennings, and Fran Bilas, original programmers of the ENIAC

★ Jean E. Sammet (1928), mathematician and computer scientist; developed FORMAC programming language

★ Barbara H. Liskov (1939), first American female Doctorate of Computer Science (1968)

★ Irma Wyman, first Honeywell CIO

★ Sally Floyd (computer scientist), most renowned for her work on Transmission Control Protocol^[1]

★ Frances E. Allen, first female recipient of the ACM'S Turing Award

★ Anita Borg, the founding director of the Institute for Women and Technology (IWT)

★ Shafi Goldwasser, theoretical computer scientist, two-time recipient of the Godel Prize

★ Eva Tardos, recipient of the Fulkerson Prize

★ Adele Goldberg, one of the designers and developers of the Smalltalk language.

Issues regarding women in computing (USA)

In the United States, the number of women represented in engineering and information technology peaked in the late 1980s. Since then, the percentage of women in the computing profession declined from 35.2% in 1990 to 28.4% in 2000. In computer science in particular, there has been a dramatic drop in women earning bachelor's degrees. A report from the Computing Research Association indicated that the number recently fell below 20%, from nearly 40% in the mid 80s. Research has shown that many misperceptions about computing persist and may discourage women. .

Gender theory and women in computing

A recent book titled "Athena Unbound" provides a life-course analysis (based on interviews and surveys) of women in science from early childhood interest, through university, graduate school and the academic workplace. The thesis of this book is that "Women face a special series of gender related barriers to entry and success in scientific careers that persist, despite recent advances".

Organizations for women in computing

★ Association for Computing Machinery Committee on Women

★ Association for Women in Computing

★ Computing Research Association Committee on the Status of Women in Computing research

★ National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT)

★ IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE)

See also

★ Women in science

★ Women, girls and information technology

★ LinuxChix - a women-oriented community in the open source movement

Footnotes

# ''Lancaster, Hal, Career Journal: Women Try to Break Tech-Glass Ceiling'', Wall Street Journal, Brussels, August 14, 2001.
# ''Vegso'', Jay, May 2005 edition of Computing Research News, Vol. 17, No. 3, May 2005.
# ''Margolis, Jane; Fisher, Alan, Unlocking the Clubhouse'', SIGCSE Inroads Bulletin, Vol 34, No. 2, June 2002.
# ''Etzkowitz, Henry; Kemelgor, Carol; Uzzi, Brian, ATHENA UNBOUND - The advancement of women in science and technology'', Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-511-03833-X (ISBN-13 9780511038334), 2000.

References

1. Sally Floyd

External links

★ Invisible Women of Science and Technology By Susmita Barua

★ 'The Book List': Computer Science Books by Women Computer Scientists compiled by Susan Landau

★ Homeward Bound By Linda Hirshman