I've spent over 32 years working in the information technology field. I love this picture of the ENIAC, one of the earliest computers, because it features two women. Two women influential to my success really stand out when I see this picture. When I was at Texas A&M working on my Masters degree, I had the pleasure of studying and working with Dr Sallie Sheppard. She actually was in the first graduating class of women at Texas A&M University. It was great meeting her for lunch some 12 or so years later when I attended a university recruiting event there for my employer. She has been a great role model to me. I'm also proud to have worked under Dr Cathleen Norris at the University of North Texas. She was also amazing in helping me to successfully jump through all those challenging hoops in the completion of my dissertation to attain my PhD.
The paths for women working in technology have not always been smooth. Even in my own career, I can recall many instances that should not have occurred:
- One interviewer should not have told me that he hesitated to hire me, fearing that I'd eventually "disappear" from work on maternity leave
- Another interviewer should not have told me that the job would be very rough -- and wondered if I could handle it -- because the last thing all the men wanted back at the office was for him to hire a "the b-word" (yes, he said it)
- I was fortunate to start my career at a company in a department with numerous, young, bright, professional women in technology. However, within 3 years I transferred to a department of more "seasoned" IT professionals. It seemed to be a constant battle initially to get challenging assignments that actually used my programming skills. One of the first assignments from my team leader was the entry of the entire team's timecards into the system, plus logging online their project data from paper forms each member was required to complete weekly.
- In the early days of my career, there was a strict dress code (e.g., suits and ties for men, skirts and jackets for women). One manager kept extra ties in his office for the day that any staff member thought a tie would not be necessary (e.g., when packing boxes in preparation for a move). That manager also struggled with the thought of women wearing slacks / dress pants in the office (even a "pant suit" with a matching jacket). I recall a very long list of items - the criteria for approved business casual attire for the two women in the department. I don't recall every item on the list, but the slacks could not be cotton, could not have a cuff, the seams must be inside (not out), must be dry-clean only, etc. At first I was annoyed, but then amused when I looked around and none of my male peers met all the criteria. I simply asked the manager to walk us through the building and to show us examples of the proper attire so that we could comply. As we wandered down each hall, it became very obvious to him that none of his male employees could meet the criteria that he demanded of us. It eventually worked out.
- We still hear that women make less than men who perform the same job. It would be hard to prove (or disprove) that in my job -- where the salaries are "secret" and no one discloses them. However, one day I was saddened on a day that I eagerly anticipated a nice raise for work well done -- to be told that the increase could only be given to either me or a male peer. The manager then told me that he chose to give the raise to the male peer, specifically because he was married with children. That was his only reason that I did not get an increase that year.
