By Laura Krusin
Sisters are doing it for themselves! And 'it' means pioneering the fields of programming and computing. Here we overview the history of women in tech and look at some of the female powerhouses in tech today.
When you think of pioneers in the world of computing the first people that come to mind are men like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates or maybe Alan Turing. But even before the first computer was built in 1936, many women have been at the forefront of innovations in computing.
One of the first notable female computer scientists was Ada Lovelace. Born in 1815, Ada was well ahead of her time. Inheriting her mother’s love of science and mathematics Ada began working with Charles Babbage, a celebrity in the world of mathematics, but it is work by Ada that is still used today in computer programming. The two mathematicians collaborated on the Analytical Engine, a hypothetical machine that was never built, but parts of its design are still utilised in modern day computers.
Due to Ada’s incredible understanding of mathematics, she was asked to translate a paper on its functioning from the Italian scientist Luigi Menabrea. She did not simply translate the paper word for word, but famously added in her own footnotes, the details of which are longer than the article itself and are classed as the first computer programme ever written. In these notes Ada wrote an algorithm for which the Analytical Engine could be used to compute Bernoulli numbers, a sequence of rational numbers which occur frequently in number theory, this algorithm was the first ever written in relation to computing.
Furthermore, Ada’s notes are said to be what inspired Alan Turing to build his ‘Turing Machine’. The work of Ada Lovelace has had profound effects on the world of computing, recognised in the programming languages named after her. She was one of the first pioneering women in the subject of computing and technology.
Since Ada Lovelace, there has been a steady stream of female computer scientists. One such woman was Hedy Lamarr, best known for her acting career on the silver screen in the 1930s. In fact Hedy was hugely multi-talented and invented technology that we still all use on a daily basis.
Hedy began to dislike her acting career when she was cast based on her looks rather than her talent, and so she turned to inventing in order to stimulate her mind. She invented the wireless technology initially used to guide torpedoes in WW2, helping the allies win the war. Her technology, known as the frequency hopping spread spectrum, guided torpedoes on a more directly to their target, offsetting interference with radio signals.
The work was patented in 1942 but it was not implemented for its original use until 20 years later when it was used in the Cuban Missile Crisis. However, the implications of her work is enormous and has allowed for mobile technologies such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, and 4G. Things we use on a day to day basis without a second thought of the woman who invented them the huge difference she has made to our daily lives.
Another woman who changed the world of computing was Grace Hopper. Like Lamarr, her work also started for the Navy. She was involved in the programming of the Mark 1 computer in order to increase the accuracy of military operations during the 1940s.
Her accomplishments also include the invention of the first compiler. A compiler is a piece of software that translates mathematics into code which the computer can use as instructions. Her invention of the compiler sped up the processing time of computers which resulted in the revolution of the computer itself. Further accolades of Grace’s include the writing of the first user friendly computer software programme known as COBOL. Grace Hopper has had a lasting impact on the world of computing as COBOL is still the standard method of data processing used today especially in the finance and business sectors. However, inventions and technology created by women do not just come from the past. In 2018 alone, many of the breakthrough pieces of technology outlined by MIT were created by women. Such breakthroughs include artificial embryos created by Magdelena Zernicka-Goetz at the University of Cambridge. These embryos have no sperm and no egg. They have simply been created from mouse stem cells. This could allow for mammals to born without an egg at all, just from the stem cells of another embryo. Her work is of great importance as it could be applied to humans allowing us to study the mysteries of mammalian development and potentially allow for gene editing early on in development.
Other women breaking the glass ceiling in 2018 include Jessica Matthews, the founder and CEO of Uncharted Power a company working in clean energy technology created by kinetic power. Projects by Matthews and her team include a road speed bump which stores energy every time it is driven over, as well as paving slabs on walkways that use the same principle. This energy is stored in micro-grids and used to power things within the community such as street lamps, security solutions, charging points, and even Wi-Fi. This technology is vital with the threat of climate change becoming ever more imminent.
The woman mentioned show that it is possible for inventions to revolutionise the modern world. However, women are being left behind as technology advances with digital illiteracy more common in women than it is in men.
This inequality is creating a digital divide that is making it harder for women to find jobs in a world that is become more technologically oriented. Poverty, gender stereotypes, and gender discrimination are resulting in 200 million fewer women having phones than men, and the proportion of men using the internet being 12% higher than that of women.
These issues could leave women unemployed as the job sectors become more technologically focused. Charities such as the Women’s Worldwide Web are working to prevent this. But these issues once again indicate the importance of women getting involved in STEMM subjects and being role models for future generations, especially in computing and technology.
Women must continue to break gender stereotypes such as Ada Lovelace, Hedy Lamarr, and Grace Hopper did, to ensure that the future of tech is still, as it has always been, female.