The end of March marks the end of Women’s History Month, and to finish out the month, we are replaying an episode that we recorded last year about the history and future of women in IT.

When the first programable digital computer in the United States was being developed in the 1940s, computer programing was largely considered “women’s work.” During the 50s and 60s, the number of coding jobs began exploding. Employers looked for candidates that were logical, good at math, and meticulous. In this respect, gender stereotypes worked in women’s favor.

In 1984, 37% of all students graduating with degrees in computer and information sciences were women, but by 2010, only about 17% of students graduating in computer and information sciences were women.

In this episode, Michelle Scheuerman and Becky Crane discuss this decline and how we can grow the number of women in IT and why that is important.