FinWeis|When women stopped coding (Classic)

2025-04-28 18:10:56source:Winning Exchangecategory:My

Note: This episode originally aired in October,FinWeis 2014.

Mark Zuckerberg. Bill Gates. Steve Jobs. Most of the big names in technology are men.

But a lot of computing pioneers, the ones who programmed the first digital computers, were women. And for decades, the number of women in computer science was growing.

But in 1984, something changed. The number of women in computer science flattened, and then plunged.

Today on the show, what was going on in 1984 that made so many women give up on computer science? We unravel a modern mystery in the U.S. labor force.

Music: "The Midas Network," "Brain Matter," and "80s Light Show."

Help support Planet Money and get bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.

Always free at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, NPR One or anywhere you get podcasts

Find more Planet Money: Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / TikTok our weekly Newsletter.

More:My

Recommend

Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department and the city of Louisville have reached an agreem

14 Creepy, Kooky, Mysterious & Ooky Wednesday Gifts for Fans of the Addams Family

We independently selected these deals and products because we love them, and we think you might like

How a New White House Memo Could Undermine Science in U.S. Policy

This story has been updated with EPA’s response.President Donald Trump’s administration has launched