Description
Women & Early Computer Programming during World War II
During World War II, women in both the United States and England played a significant role in preserving life on the home front while men participated in the war effort. Many women were recruited for critical positions in science and technology, working up to six days a week for little to no recognition. They were also hired for much less pay than men with comparable backgrounds in mathematics. “Computer, at that point, was a job title, not a machine” (Gumbrecht, 2011). A product of the times, women “computers” were considered temporary replacements for their male counterparts. Nicknamed “Rosies” in the United States, these women became increasingly frustrated that their precise, labored calculations were used without appropriate recognition.
According to official histories of ballistics research and the development of the first electronic computers, groundbreaking technological achievements by women have widely been unacknowledged or omitted entirely. Only recently has new insight surfaced about the American women accredited with development of the ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer). Once the war ended in late 1945, six women were chosen to program this early model before it was taken to a military base in Washington, D.C. Shortly after, all women were removed from the project and privately given certificates of commendation in exchange for their efforts.
Talk to Us:
Do you think today’s women have overcome the obstacles faced by WWII’s female “computers”? If not, what can be done to correct these inequalities?
Sources:
Gumbrecht, Jamie. "Rediscovering WWII's Female 'Computers'" CNN. Cable News Network, 08 Feb. 2011. Web. 08 Dec. 2015.
"Women Computers in World War II." ETHW. Engineering and Technology History Wiki, 28 Sept. 2015. Web. 08 Dec. 2015.