I often think about how many of the first computer programmers were women & how it was seen as a sort of secretarial thing and not considered very hard until men started doing it https://twitter.com/onthisdayshe/status/1322874066940866561

A NYT piece about the “low status” involvement of women in coding history: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2019/02/13/magazine/women-coding-computer-programming.amp.html%3f0p19G=2103

If someone tries try to justify studying an all-male science history to you:

Anyway, you want to find early women in STEM? Look for the assistants and secretaries of the men who made enormous breakthroughs. They probably did most of the work.

Fun fact, in 1999 I learned multiple computer languages because as an engineering intern w/ programming experience, I was one of 2 people who could confront Y2K. The older engineers stood behind me & said, “Look! She’s as pretty as a secretary but she can take dictation in EXCEL”

Tbh this still happens constantly https://twitter.com/swilua/status/1322879557586833408

For example, secretaries, who do INVALUABLE, HARD work (the things I could get done if I had a secretary!) and who will always be “just secretaries” because ~misogyny