Programming started off as a “woman’s job”[1] and was that way for several decades. There were a good deal of women programmers, from my own recollection up through the mid-1980s and then they dwindled away rather quickly.
My hypothesis about this is that the personal computer revolution happened and boys hung out in their bedrooms gaming and learning to program.
I’m guessing there was some sort of male-leaning bias on which houses bought personal computers first. Video games were definitely the gateway drug.
I am guessing that girls were less likely to hermit themselves away in their bedrooms all day, every day[2]. Gradually these boys became men and either skipped or surfed their way through college into the job market.
Programming started off as a “woman’s job”[1] and was that way for several decades. There were a good deal of women programmers, from my own recollection up through the mid-1980s and then they dwindled away rather quickly.
My hypothesis about this is that the personal computer revolution happened and boys hung out in their bedrooms gaming and learning to program.
I’m guessing there was some sort of male-leaning bias on which houses bought personal computers first. Video games were definitely the gateway drug.
I am guessing that girls were less likely to hermit themselves away in their bedrooms all day, every day[2]. Gradually these boys became men and either skipped or surfed their way through college into the job market.
1. https://www.google.com/search?q=women+in+programming
2. Of course there were exceptions and I knew more than a few women coders/hackers of substantial ability.