From programming software to providing deeper insights to breaking barriers and making social change, women have made a huge impact throughout the history of technology. For Women’s History Month, let’s take a look back at women who played a pivotal role in advancing technology and technology career opportunities for the women who have followed them.
ENIAC 6
In the 1940s, a “computer” was a human who did complex calculations. This role was commonly filled by women. During World War II, some of these “computers” were responsible for computing the ballistic trajectories of artillery shells.
Around this time, the first large-scale general-purpose electronic computer, known as the ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer), was developed to make the calculation process faster and more efficient. While two men developed the hardware, there were six women who created the methodology to program the machine, including programs for computing ballistic trajectories.
These women, known as the ENIAC 6, were Kathleen McNulty, Frances Bilas, Betty Snyder, Marlyn Wescoff, Ruth Lichterman, and Jean Jennings. Their work not only included programming the electronic computer for ballistic trajectories but also the early versions of flowcharting and debugging programs. When it came to presenting the ENIAC in 1946, the women were asked to be hostesses, serving coffee to the all-male audience of attendees, rather than being at the front, presenting and answering questions.
Ask Cloud Wars AI Agent about this analysis
The stories and accomplishments of these six women were not recognized until years later. While attending the ENIAC’s 40th anniversary, Kathy Kleiman met four of the women, then shed light on their work in her book “Proving Ground” as well as a film “The Computers: The Remarkable Story of the ENIAC Programmers.”
Women of NASA
Since the 1920s, women have been integral to advancements and operations at NASA, filling roles such as mathematicians, computers, engineers, supervisors and, in later years, astronauts. There are a few women in particular who used their time in this field to not only make technological contributions but also went against norms to create equal opportunities for women during a time when so-called women’s work was mostly isolated to computer programming and didn’t extend to several of the other functions.
During the 1960s, Macie Roberts was appointed to a supervisory role at NASA. While in this position, she made a point to intentionally hire women for her team, believing that having men on her team would undermine the cohesion and contributions of the rest of the team and that men would be reluctant to accept directions from a woman. Following her lead, Helen Ling became a supervisor and prioritized hiring women, more specifically those who didn’t have the experience or education that had been previously expected. She also advocated for a form of maternity leave; although unpaid, Ling would rehire women who had to leave their positions after giving birth.
Janez Lawson was one of the women that Roberts saw potential in. Although highly qualified, her race and gender would make it challenging for her to attain an engineering role. After graduating with a chemical engineering degree in 1953, Janez Lawson was the first African American to work in a technical position at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab. With encouragement from her supervisor to continue her education, Lawson was one of two people selected to attend an IBM training school for operating and programming computers.
A group of African American women working at NASA in the 1950s broke down racial barriers. Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, and Katherine Johnson joined NASA when there were still segregated computer sections for them to work in. Vaughan was the first African American manager at NASA’s Langley Research Center, where she also prioritized hiring women. Jackson became NASA’s first African American engineer, conducting wind tunnel and flight experiments. Johnson was a physicist, space scientist, and mathematician who conducted vital calculations that were instrumental in sending astronauts into orbit and the moon in the 60s. The stories of these three women were shared in the film Hidden Figures (2016).
These women were not just first in their respective fields, and they they did more than just advance technology. They kickstarted social change by giving women opportunities that they wouldn’t have had and boldly broke barriers for women of color in technology.
Ada Lovelace
Growing up and living in the 1800s, Ada Lovelace had a curious mind and an instinct to approach things methodically. While her father was poet Lord Byron, Ada’s education was more influenced by her mother who decided to promote mathematics and related subjects, aiming to prevent Ada from following in her father’s footsteps. With technical topics at the forefront, Ada had a natural balance between the influences of both her parents.
Ada is known as the first computer programmer – not just the first female programmer. Her accomplishments are many. She was the key interpreter for Charles Babbage’s “Analytic Engine” design, where her translation added 12,000 additional words which consisted of her own notes and perspectives. Published in 1843, her translation represented “her greatest contribution to computer science: she described with clarity how Babbage’s device would work,” how it could perform certain calculations, and even the significance of the machine, although it was never fully built.
Because she was able to articulate the significance of the machine and its abilities to follow instructions and perform complex calculations, her translation of the “Analytic Engine” led to further advancements in computer programming. While there are still individuals who try to discredit her achievements, her work is recognized today for shedding light on the contributions of women in math and science, which historically have been overlooked.
Final Thoughts
By reflecting on significant women in the history of technology, we can gain an appreciation for the opportunities they helped unlock for women in tech today. Not only did these women lay the groundwork for many modern technologies, but they also made important strides for equality in the workplace. These women exemplify what it means to push forward when facing adversity; they paved the way and created more opportunities for future women in tech.
