Women’s History Month: Putting Women Back in the Frame
From Grace Hopper to Elsie Shutt to Margaret Hamilton, the women who came before us set an ideal that today we chase. When I look at black and white photos of these women sitting in front of very large computers I think about how many obstacles they must have overcome to sit in those chairs. And how their presence opened the door for all of us. Then I remember that their presence was distorted in the following decades and then removed from the public dialog on tech for far too long.
By the 1970s, women were being sexualized in ads for computers and by the 1980s, they were all but gone. While many women continued to work in tech, the introduction of the home PC and the rise of video games created what advertisers believed was an opportunity to sell to boys and men. Tech advertisements from this era are very nearly void of women. By the late 1990s, BusinessWeek memorialized the new culture of tech with a cover story about Silicon Valley that featured all men, all looking eerily the same. The mid-ought’s brought Facebook and Twitter and the stereotype of a successful person in tech was solidified by men in hoodies.
The good news is women have started to reappear in this story. And the volume is loud. They’re rising to reclaim their seat at the table. Chasing the ideal we associate with Grace Hopper. From Ellen Pao to Susan Fowler and hundreds of other women who are speaking out, today we are starting to again see images of women who are building, investing, creating and dreaming with technology.
Today, this month and always we honor and are fueled by the women who blazed trails for us, both centuries before and now. In honoring those who came before, we also honor those who will come next. Through remembering and telling the stories of inspiring, courageous women, we can provide the necessary tools to the next generation of girls and women.
This month also marks the release of our very first episode for The Chasing Grace Project. Episode One: Eighty Twenty will debut during Women’s History Month on March 25 online and at the Hollywood Theatre in Portland, Oregon, where the whole month of programming is dedicated to feminism.
We hope the series will resonate with both men and women. With girls who are skeptical about pursuing an education or career in tech. With women who are considering taking the exit door. With men who seek deeper understanding. We need you. And we hope you’ll watch.
We’ll be celebrating International Women’s Day (March 8) with the release of a teaser for Episode One: Eighty Twenty and the official movie poster (available in print and online). Please help us increase visibility for the Project. The more girls and women who hear these stories, the more likely we are to recruit and retain a diverse workforce that can build the future we’re all dreaming of.
