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I graduated high school in 1984, and I can't remember one girl in junior high or high school that was interested in computers in any way, although both of the a

I graduated high school in 1984, and I can't remember one girl in junior high or high school that was interested in computers in any way, although both of the areas with computers that were set up in classrooms were put there by female teachers. I don't know if the lack of interest was due to teachers like the author had (although we had no computer-related classes in high school), if it was a social thing, or if there just wasn't interest there to begin with. I was heads-down learning to program and soaking up information - I wasn't attuned to others around me. I didn't understand why everyone else wasn't this passionate about it. Obviously, social interaction wasn't my strong suit going through school. I had access to TRS-80 Level I's, and Apple ][e's. My parents bought me a TRS-80 Color Computer, and I purchased an assembler cartridge and was off to the races. I look back fondly as that fog of ignorance slowly lifted and I realized what these incredible machines could do. I remember maybe two or three women in my computer science classes in college. That changed when I got my first job (in a university setting, where I'm still employed). Developers here are roughly 60/40 male/female. System admins and networking personnel skew wildly male.

SteveGerencser 9y ago
I had the exact opposite experience, I graduated in 84 as well. Our first computer classes were nearly 50/50 male female in high school. That changed in college.
petsormeat 9y ago
I also graduated high school in 1984. By that time, even my small-town American school had a room full of TRS-80s (cassette tape storage!) and a semester-long class in BASIC. I remember the class being evenly split between boys and girls, and nobody finding that remarkable--some of us even had moms or aunts who worked with punchcards and mainframes. The top students in the class were the same diligent girls who prevailed in the honors math and English classes; again, not provoking comment. The understanding was that we were acquiring practical skills for a drab something vaguely understood as "business," so intense interest in programming would have seemed very strange. By the early Nineties, I noticed that programming had obtained this alienating macho reputation, which I find ironic considering how much GUIs made it so much more accessible, and the Web made it so much more interesting. I haven't read a thorough treatment of this period of computing history--any suggestions?
- godshatter 9y ago
  I think the difference might have to do with whether or not a class was being taught vs. simple self-discovery. Making no judgements, but it's been my experience that men are more likely to develop on projects outside of work. I have no idea why, maybe it's just a statistical aberration, but that's what I've seen through the years.
ForRealsies 9y ago
A previous HN discussion on this topic pointed to the fact that women in developing countries embrace STEM more than those in developed countries. I believe we'll see more women in STEM when financially, it makes little sense not to. Judging how America is quickly becoming a Service Industry country, and how necessary a dual income has become, that time may come soon.

SteveGerencser 9y ago

I had the exact opposite experience, I graduated in 84 as well. Our first computer classes were nearly 50/50 male female in high school. That changed in college.

petsormeat 9y ago

I also graduated high school in 1984. By that time, even my small-town American school had a room full of TRS-80s (cassette tape storage!) and a semester-long class in BASIC. I remember the class being evenly split between boys and girls, and nobody finding that remarkable--some of us even had moms or aunts who worked with punchcards and mainframes. The top students in the class were the same diligent girls who prevailed in the honors math and English classes; again, not provoking comment. The understanding was that we were acquiring practical skills for a drab something vaguely understood as "business," so intense interest in programming would have seemed very strange. By the early Nineties, I noticed that programming had obtained this alienating macho reputation, which I find ironic considering how much GUIs made it so much more accessible, and the Web made it so much more interesting. I haven't read a thorough treatment of this period of computing history--any suggestions?

godshatter 9y ago
I think the difference might have to do with whether or not a class was being taught vs. simple self-discovery. Making no judgements, but it's been my experience that men are more likely to develop on projects outside of work. I have no idea why, maybe it's just a statistical aberration, but that's what I've seen through the years.

ForRealsies 9y ago

A previous HN discussion on this topic pointed to the fact that women in developing countries embrace STEM more than those in developed countries. I believe we'll see more women in STEM when financially, it makes little sense not to. Judging how America is quickly becoming a Service Industry country, and how necessary a dual income has become, that time may come soon.