By Diane Gherson, IBM Chief Human Resources Officer
Recently, I read the bestselling book “Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys’ Club of Silicon Valley” by Emily Chang. I found it fascinating, cover to cover. I was especially struck by a section about the history of the tech industry, drawn from the work of historian Nathan Ensmenger of Indiana University — specifically, how it first became so male-dominated and the societal factors that perpetuate that trend today.
Ensmenger’s research takes us back in time to 1967, with an article in Cosmopolitan titled “The Computer Girls.” The author describes how a new field called programming had emerged, dominated by women. A female senior systems analyst could make “$ 20,000 — and up!” ($ 150,000 in today’s world). IBM systems engineer, Ann Richardson, is featured in a photo “sporting a dress, pearly earrings, and a short bouffant.” The truth is the tech industry was dominated by women in its early days.See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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