The computing profession faces a serious gender crisis. Today, fewer women enter computing than anytime in the past 25 years. This book provides an unprecedented look at the history of women and men in computing, detailing how the computing profession emerged and matured, and how the field became male coded. Women's experiences working in offices, education, libraries, programming, and government are examined for clues on how and where women succeeded and where they struggled. It also provides a unique international dimension with studies examining the U.S., Great Britain, Germany, Norway, and Greece. Scholars in history, gender/women's studies, and science and technology studies, as well as department chairs and hiring directors will find this volume illuminating.

The computing profession faces a serious gender crisis. Todayfewer women enter computing than anytime in the past 25 years. Thisbook provides an unprecedented look at the history of women and menin computing, detailing how the computing profession emerged andmatured, and how the field became male coded. Women's experiencesworking in offices, education, libraries, programming, andgovernment are examined for clues on how and where womensucceeded--and where they struggled. It also provides a uniqueinternational dimension with studies examining the U.S., GreatBritain, Germany, Norway, and Greece. Scholars in historygender/women's studies, and science and technology studies, as wellas department chairs and hiring directors will find this volumeilluminating.

Foreword ixPreface xiiiContributors xvPART I: TOOLS FOR UNDERSTANDING 11 Gender Codes 3Defining the ProblemThomas J. Misa2 Computer Science 25The Incredible Shrinking WomanCaroline Clarke Hayes3 Masculinity and the Machine Man 51Gender in the History of Data ProcessingThomas HaighPART II: INSTITUTIONAL LIFE 734 A Gendered Job Carousel 75Employment Effects of Computer AutomationCorinna Schlombs5 Meritocracy and Feminization in Confl ict 95Computerization in the British GovernmentMarie Hicks6 Making Programming Masculine 115Nathan Ensmenger7 Gender and Computing in the Push-Button Library143Greg DowneyPART III: MEDIA AND CULTURE 1638 Cultural Perceptions of Computers in Norway 1980-2007165From "Anybody" Via "Male Experts" to "Everybody"Hilde G. Corneliussen9 Constructing Gender and Technology in Advertising Images187Feminine and Masculine Computer PartsAristotle Tympas, Hara Konsta, Theodore Lekkas, and SerkanKarasPART IV: WOMEN IN COMPUTING 21110 The Pleasure Paradox 213Bridging the Gap Between Popular Images of Computing andWomen's Historical ExperiencesJanet Abbate11 Programming Enterprise 229Women Entrepreneurs in Software and Computer ServicesJeffrey R. Yost12 Gender Codes 251Lessons from HistoryThomas J. Misa13 Gender Codes 265Prospects for ChangeCaroline Clarke HayesBibliography 275Index 297