When Grace Hopper gets mentioned, there tends to be an uncomfortable silence about COBOL. COBOL is actually quite interesting, since it was a serious effort to make programming more accessible and a commercial success. It’s also universally reviled by people who do programming for fun.
Beyond the gender stereotype of women being bad at tech, there is also the stereotype that women don’t do technical tinkering for fun. It’s a bit unfortunate that Hopper’s most famous accomplishment ended up becoming the shorthand for programming as dreary, unfun 9-to-5 bureaucratic grind.
When Grace Hopper gets mentioned, there tends to be an uncomfortable silence about COBOL. COBOL is actually quite interesting, since it was a serious effort to make programming more accessible and a commercial success. It’s also universally reviled by people who do programming for fun.
Beyond the gender stereotype of women being bad at tech, there is also the stereotype that women don’t do technical tinkering for fun. It’s a bit unfortunate that Hopper’s most famous accomplishment ended up becoming the shorthand for programming as dreary, unfun 9-to-5 bureaucratic grind.