Women Drive Tech: Celebrating Women’s History Month at Atlas School

Women have been a driving force in tech since its conception. This Women’s History Month Atlas School acknowledges the history of women in the tech industry and celebrates their  contributions and accomplishments, looking toward a future where a career in tech remains accessible for all who are interested in pursuing it.

History of Women in Tech

The world’s first computer programmer is cited as Ada Lovelace, a talented mathematician and writer from the mid-1800s. At the start of her career, Lovelace was tasked with translating an article on Charles Babbage’s analytical engine. Ada went above and beyond the call and added her own concepts and reflections on the machine. In these reflections Lovelace had written algorithms and introduced methods still used in computer programming today.

Grace Hopper was a trailblazer in tech, influencing the field through software and programming development. Hopper earned her career education in mathematics and went on to serve in the Navy during World War II. There, Hopper worked on the first electromechanical computer in the United States which was essential to wartime efforts. In this position, Grace invented the first compiler - a program that translates programming language into machine code - instrumental to modern program language development. 

During the second world war, women were critical in advancing technology that was innovative and protective. At the time, women made up the largest trained technical workforce in the computing industry. Back then, computers were large pieces of machinery, taking up multiple rooms, relying on thick cables and machinery to run equations and solve problems. Instead of typing code, they were programmed through physical punch cards or directly with the wiring. Women, whose background with needlework made them skilled at weaving wires together, and experience with clerical work translated well to detail-oriented programming, were instrumental in building and operating these complex machines. However, their work was undervalued until the workforce was gradually replaced with men.

Highlighting Greatness: The Modern Day

Women persisted in the industry through the 1970s. Valerie Thomasm, a young data-driven analyst, had a passion for scientific knowledge since she was a little girl. She developed image-processing systems for NASA that changed the landscape of 3D imaging allowing satellites to collect critical information about Earth’s resources.

Barbara Liskov made profound contributions to technology around the same time, as a faculty professor at MIT. Liskov invented CLU, the first programming language of its kind which supported data abstraction. To this day Barbara is regarded as an authority in computer language development. 

As the tech field became more lucrative, women were increasingly excluded from the industry they helped create, leading to it becoming a male-dominated field. Despite this change, women continue to contribute to advances in technology.

In the 1980s Radia Perlman designed a routing algorithm, called the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) which is still used today due to its simplicity. This routing protocol was able to “self-stabilize” which enhanced network reliability and stability. 

Marian Croak is best known for her developments in Voice Over Internet Protocols (VoIP) which converts a voice into a digital signal, the basis for calling directly from a computer or other digital device. In the mid-1990s Croak and her colleagues advocated for Internet Protocol rather than wireline telephony which is the foundation of our modern networks, today.

In 2012, Reshma Saujani created Girls Who Code (GWC) which aimed to close gaps in the technology industry through coding education for middle- and high-school girls. With Saujani’s leadership, GWC has served over 185,000 girls across the United States with the mission of breaking down barriers to entering the tech industry. 

We highlight these outstanding women in tech as examples of the many others whose contributions have historically been uncredited and devalued. For each woman named on this list, there are hundreds more who have been omitted from history. Women are still fighting against a prejudiced system, breaking through barriers to innovate and share their contributions to advance the industry.

We want to encourage women in the industry today to be inspired by the legacy before them, and recognize that the support from local organizations, like the ones at our Equal Pay Day resource fair, can be crucial to their long term career success. We also want to encourage those who work with women to become an advocate, recognize the value that each member brings to a team, and uplift them in your workplaces.

Preparing Women for Tech at Atlas

At Atlas, we work toward breaking down barriers to education and entry into the workforce. As of 2022 women only make up 22.6% of the tech workforce nationally, despite nearly 360,000 positions opening in the industry each year.  At Atlas School, we have a responsibility to prepare the next generation of industry leaders, and ensure that gender is not a barrier to pursuing education. Earlier this month, we hosted an event for Equal Pay Day, with speakers, Dr. Laura Lotta and Toneille Bent as well as organizations that provide resources for women. The speakers focused on equity for women in the workplace, highlighting areas for growth. The organizations provided a wealth of local resources for women and engaged attendees in important conversations about workplace equity. 

Our March Open House featured Teguma Nicholas of Maverick Data who explored how data can uncover bias in career advancement and how to respond to this bias, and our Equal Pay Day event connected women with resources to support them in their careers. Stay tuned for future programming to see how Atlas School works to help people find their path to a career in tech!

Despite the overwhelming barriers of the past, women have continued to innovate in tech. We can support bright futures in tech for women by continuing conversations about equity and providing accessible tech education.