Programming used to be "Women's Work"

      When it comes to programming, there is an abundant amount of male dominance that exists in this 21st century. These individuals use their knowledge about Computer Science to the fullest extent to provide us with products and services that we use on an everyday basis. Others' perception of these individuals as nerdy or anti-social people continue to strive just like it did when the profession was coming into existence. Now, we think that the number of female programmers does not stand a chance compared to the number of males in the field, but surprisingly there is more and more females taking Computer Science courses and choosing to lead software engineering careers. In fact, according to Rose Eveleth, programming was once considered "woman's work."

      In the 1960's, programming was dominated by women that looked for better job opportunities. It was considered an easy job, where women developed software and often led projects with male colleagues to improve existing hardware.

      Dr. Graced Hooper, a computer scientist said that programming was "just like planning a dinner. You have to plan ahead and schedule everything so that it’s ready when you need it. Women are ‘naturals’ at computer programming.” So after all, is programming a difficult job, or is it just that the person must be a great planner? The answer is that yes, programming is a difficult job but women can be just as successful as their male counterparts.

      But why does the number of male programmers still dominate when it comes to software engineering positions or even enrollment in polytechnic institutes and universities? According to the article, the reason why we mostly see male programmers is due to the competition that arose between men and women when it came to career dominance. Male programmers even created associations in order for women not to be hired in this field, to separate themselves from the rest. However with the changing society and job equality rising, more women are motivated to pursue this career, making this profession more diverse.  

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