History | Gender | Computing

ANNOUNCING: History | Gender | Computing

Public Conference, 30 May 2008
Charles Babbage Institute, Andersen Library, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis MN 55455

**** Registration now open ****

Women were active participants in building and programming the first electronic digital computers, and notably prominent in the first generation of computer programmers in the 1950s, but they have faced serious barriers to full participation in the computing professions. Today, computing persists as one of the most gender-segregated domains of modern life. How and when did a male-coded world of computing emerge? How and why has it has continued? What are the exceptions — and promising strategies for change?

The Charles Babbage Institute at the University of Minnesota presents a day-long public conference devoted to a much-needed examination of these questions. While the National Science Foundation and other policy actors have devoted immense resources to increasing women’s participation in computing, over the past two decades there has been a striking **drop** in women’s participation in computing education and a corresponding tail-off in the U.S. workforce. Clearly, an important “missing piece” is yet to be discovered. This international conference, with participants from six countries, examines gender and the diverse uses of computing in offices, libraries, schools, mass media, and the computing profession. The eight papers will spark lively audience discussion on these themes:

* Automation, skill, and power;
* Gender discourse and imagery;
* Boundaries and identity;
* Gendered cultures of work and play.

Complementing these presentations is a scheduled poster session, showcasing additional views and innovative projects, as well as a viewing of “Gendered Bits: Identities, Practices, and Artifacts in Computing.” This new exhibit, curated by CBI archivist Arvid Nelsen, explores how gender has shaped the professional identities and material culture of computing. Using materials from CBI’s extensive archival holdings in the history of computing, as well as the Children’s Literature Research Collections, it presents the contributions, struggles, and shifting roles of women as well as raises questions about gender broadly and the specific issues of masculinity. The exhibit in Andersen Library will be open 28 May through 23 July 2008.

Register _now_ for the conference and get a free lunch! For registration, the conference program, travel and lodging details, a bibliography with key literature, and useful links see www.umn.edu/~tmisa/gender/

. Please
direct questions to <cbi@umn.edu>.