Talking about women in computer science can be a bit of a downer, so I figured it might lighten the mood a bit and open this post with a bit of a game.  The rules are simple:  Go to the Wikipedia page on the “History of Computer Science,”and count the number of times women are mentioned.  It’s okay.  I’ll wait.  Alright, you back? Truth is, that wasn’t a very fun game, was it? At any rate, (At the time of this writing) here’s the answer (Drum roll): 1 time!  Did you spot where?  I’ll go ahead and quote it here:

Just chillaxin at Harvard, doin some computing.

“Before the 1920s, computers (sometimes computors) were human clerks that performed computations. They were usually under the lead of a physicist. Many thousands of computers were employed in commerce, government, and research establishments. Most of these computers were women, and they were known to have a degree in calculus. Some performed astronomical calculations for calendars.”

Oh cool, degrees in calculus!  They were known to have them!  That’s right y’all: the place of women in the history of computer science is, according to the Wikipedia narrative we all know and love, as predecessors to the literal objects that we know today as computers.  This certainly would be a disheartening story, were it actually representative of the part women have played in computer science.  Luckily for us, this isn’t exactly the case.  Truthfully, despite rather distressing rates of under-representation, women have taken an active and vital role in the development of modern computers, and continue to do so to this day. Just to name a few:  Grete Hermann, who did foundational work on computerized algebra; Grace Hopper, the mother of COBOL and writer of the first compiler ever for an electronic computer; Mary Allen Wilkes, inventor of the first minicomputer OS; Roberta Williams, a pioneer of adventure gaming and developer of King’s quest; Frances Allen, first female recipient of the Turing award, famous for her invaluable work on compiler optimization.  Each of these women has done invaluable service to the field.  But before any of them had even been born, before the first computer had even been manufactured, the very first computer program the world had ever seen had already been written, and by a woman to boot.  On that note, then, let me introduce you to the mother of computer programming, the author of what is widely acknowledged as the first computer program, the namesake for the programming language Ada, and general all-around smarty pants: Ada Lovelace.

Ada Lovelace

Ada Lovelace: A Badass

Augusta Ada Byron was born in England on the 10^th of December 1815, to Lord George Gordon Byron (Yes, that Lord Byron), and Anne Isabella Milbanke.  Ada never knew Byron, since he opted to leave her and her mother while she was only a month old, then proceeded to kick the bucket while she was nine. Understandably, this disappearing act did little to endear Lord Byron to Ada’s mother, and, in an attempt to ensure that none of the poetic insanity of the father took hold of the daughter, Ada was schooled in mathematics and science from a very young age.  She quickly proved adept in her lessons, and by the age of seventeen had been noted by the prominent mathematician Augustus De Morgan (of De Morgan’s laws) as having the potential to become a “mathematical investigator, perhaps of first rate eminence.”

Ada soon began to attend Court and met many prominent personages of the time, among them Charles Dickens, Michael Faraday, and importantly, Charles Babbage.  She married William King in 1835, and in 1838 gained the title of “Countess of Lovelace.”   Lovelace and Babbage maintained a correspondence for many years, and, noting her mathematical prowess, Babbage dubbed her the “Enchantress of Numbers.”

It was in 1842 that the work for which Ada is so well known began.  Originally, Ada was to produce a translation of Luigi Menabrea’s notes on Charles Babbage’s proposed “Analytical Engine,” the first Turing-complete design for a mechanical computer.  But the translation work was quickly supplanted by the addition of a lengthy (significantly longer than the translation itself) collection of notes of her own design (which are available for your perusal here, if you’re up for a bit of a dry read) detailing the hypothetical workings of the analytical engine.  Buried deep within these notes, in “Note G”, Ada details what is widely recognized to be the very first computer program, geared toward the algorithmic calculation of Bernoulli numbers.  It is likely that even beyond this translation, Ada had an active hand in the development of the analytical engine, but little is known of the further extent of her influence.  Regardless, her design of the first computer program and her astute observations on the future of computer utility beyond mathematical calculation had a profound impact on computer science (She even predicted that electronic music might be composed via computers.  In the nineteenth century!).

Unfortunately Ada didn’t live to see the construction of the Analytical engine.  She passed away in 1852 at the age of 36, due to medical complications related to the treatment of uterine cancer.  But her work was not forgotten.  A programming language commissioned by the US DOD in the 70′s to replace the hundreds of languages previously in use was named Ada in her honor.  The British Computer society awards the Lovelace medal annually to those who have advanced work in Information systems.  Annually, Lovelace is honored in a celebration of Ada Lovelace day, intended to raise awareness of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.  Certainly her work, as well as the work of many other women in computer science, has not gone unrecognized, Wikipedia references or no.

The Dire State of Digital Diversity

                But visibility of these contributions to those outside the field is low.  The situation of women in computer science is a dire one, despite the invaluable contributions of various women to the discipline.  We are facing a demographic crisis, as computer science is one of the very few disciplines which has become gradually more male-dominated over the last 30 years.  A recent study by the Computing Research Association puts the percentage of female recipients of Bachelor’s degrees in computer science at around 14%; this is certainly a far cry from the figure of nearly 40% participation taken in the mid-80s.  The question of why participation by women has declined is a complex one, and certainly one which requires a reevaluation of how we as a society choose to socialize our children, among other things.  But what is not in doubt is that this dire imbalance needs to be addressed – The lack of women in the discipline is not only embarrassing for the computer science community but detrimental to progress.  It is not a question of whether or not brilliant women have been dissuaded from entering the discipline, but, unfortunately, a question of how many.

Way to castrate Turing, Britain

Though the focus of this post is on participation by women in computer science, I would be remiss to conclude without addressing the overwhelming heteronormative and cisgendered biases also present.  By all rights, computer scientists should be natural allies in the fight for queer rights; perhaps the most brilliant, influential man in the history of computer science, Alan Turing, committed suicide after being forced to undergo chemical castration by the British Government for that most heinous of crimes: being homosexual.  This despite the fact that his work was invaluable to the British in breaking German ciphers during World War 2 (way to go y’all).  The designer of the instruction set for the enormously successful ARM processor was Sophie Wilson, a transgendered woman.  Lynn Conway, another transgendered woman, was the inventor of generalized dynamic instruction handling, an important advance in computing efficiency used by most computers today.

This is not even to mention the dearth of black, latino, (or really non-white, non-east or southeast Asian) computer scientists.  Diversity abounds among the great minds who have contributed to the field of computer science as well as among those who may yet contribute.  Yet the canonical image of the computer scientist is decidedly male, heterosexual, cisgendered, and one of a very small set of ethnic backgrounds.  This is an injustice to the myriad of brilliant contributions made by those who do not fit into this restrictive stereotype.  There is nothing inherently male, inherently white or Asian or Indian or straight or gay or cis or trans or anything about computing.  So let me end this post with a plea.  Don’t be fooled by the stereotypical image of the computer scientist.  Encourage your sister, your daughter, your friend, your mother, your roommate, anyone of any gender or sexuality or race or age or creed to seriously consider the discipline.  Don’t let the preconceived notion of who is well suited to computers and who is not influence the future of computer science.  Don’t let a computer scientist tell you that, well, there’s a certain set of people who just “get” computers.  That’s bullshit.  This is a discipline whose efforts have had far-reaching effects the world over as the world advances into the digital age.  The computer science community has enough white, straight, men in its ranks; We will need a diversity of experiences and opinions if we are to have any hope of contributing meaningfully to progress for us all.

Let’s say I started my period today. There are no tampons in my dorm; I haven’t bought a pad in ages. Having lived, until very recently, with an awareness of only two ways to stem my monthly flow, I am surprised to find myself prepared despite my padless panties. Let’s step outside the menstrual product dichotomy. Today there are several products often neglected both by public schools’ already lacking sex ed classes and the ‘Feminine Hygiene’ aisles.

One option is the cup. Marketed at the Keeper, Diva Cup, Moon Cup et al. names, they fit inside the vagina over the cervix. Your humble blogger has no personal experience with cups, but has heard almost universally positive reviews of the product: they don’t spill; they’re easy to sanitize; they completely change approximately five of every twenty-eight days of your life. Critics often point out how difficult to adjust and remove they are. Touché. Like all TRULY REVOLUTIONARY products, cups require significant effort to become accustomed to. I recommend easing the transition by using disposable cups first: they bend more easily, and are a less impactful financial commitment for those who want to try several different menstrual products.

Many Women’s Studies 101 students have seen the famous poster from 1976 endorsing sea sponges, or have heard its slogan “Less profit from women’s blood!” As a fan of composting, I find the poster’s recommendation to feed plants on menstrual flow extremely appealing. The fact that sponges are cheap and exceptionally durable when wet are mere perks in comparison. Facts about the environmental impact of harvesting sea sponges are not forthcoming, but some may have concerns about using animal products. I personally find sea sponges an environmentally responsible option: sponges usually grow faster than trees and break down faster than plastic.

My personal favorite is Gladrags, or Lunapads, or products that take the basic form of a large, comfortable, patterned, reusable cloth pad. Mine has polka-dots. They are highly absorbent, and last for approximately five years. There are tutorials on how to make your own online, but reusable pad products are becoming more widely available in stores, online and at product-selling parties.

Wear your alternative products with pride. If you use one not featured here, write a blog about it, spread the news via word of mouth, or by making a gift of one to a friend. How better to bond with someone you’ve synched with?

In her acceptance speech for this award, Kleinman reminds us of the work that remains and the women who are deprived of opportunities to advance:

I’d like to thank everyone who nominated me for this award, especially
students, former and current, who work against sexism and ALL systems of
privilege and oppression in this society.

The description of the award states that it “recognizes contributions to the
advancement of women at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.” It
is crucial for us to recognize that many women at the university do not have
the same opportunities to advance as others.

I started working at the university as a professor in a tenure-track position,
with the possibility of promotions and job security. Lecturers do not have the
same opportunities; they usually teach more courses per semester than
tenure-track or tenured professors, for less pay, and without the
possibility of tenure. Women are overrepresented among the fixed-term
faculty and underrepresented among tenure-stream and tenured professors. On our campus, women make up only 34% of tenured and tenure-track professors,but 56% of fixed-term appointments. And only 25.6% of faculty in the higher ranked category of full professor are women.

There are women in staff positions who are paid so little that they must
have 2 or more jobs to make ends meet. Under these conditions, conditions
faced by many of the housekeepers here at UNC, there is little opportunity
to advance.

I like to think I’ve played a part in communicating the feminist idea that
every decision we make has consequences for others, and that we should work *together* for justice rather than focus exclusively on individual career
advancement. Working with others continues to be a meaningful and moving
experience for me at UNC, Chapel Hill, and I thank everyone who has been a
part of the struggles and joys of this ongoing journey.

This past Friday, the Obama administration rejected lobbying efforts to limit women’s access to free birth control. According to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, providing women with a means to control the amount of children they have is a “direct attack on religion,” and is a violation of the clergy’s religious freedoms.

Should President Obama have accommodated the Draconian requests of the bishops, then employees of Catholic Churches, along with employees and students at Catholic universities, would have been out of luck. One protester, a student at a Catholic university, explained why she opposes the idea of a religious exemption on a Change.org petition: “I spend $25 a month on my birth control pill through a non-profit clinic. If I filled my prescription through CVS the cost would be almost $40 a month. I’m a college student with rent and bills to pay and food to buy. I can’t afford to keep doing this. And I certainly can’t afford to have a child right now!”

The exemption the bishops were calling for would also violate the separation of church and state clause of the US Constitution. In truth, it is simply not up to the Catholic Church, or any religious organization, to influence government in such a way that would limit a person’s access to medical care. This should be obvious. However, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops would like us to believe that they have the religious freedom to deny women their reproductive freedoms. It’s like saying that, should the Catholic Church one day deem it necessary to corral tithe through robbery of local grocery stores, clerics should be allowed to do so on the grounds that … they’re religious and they want to. It may be a stretch, but it is a useful parallel when thinking about how “religious exemption” is used to argue that certain groups of people should have the right to ignore the law, just because. Plus, it’s funny to imagine the Pope running out of Harris Teeter carrying sacs of money. Just saying.

Ultimately, President Obama has required that all insurance policies, regardless of whether or not they are provided by religious institutions, fully cover medical contraceptives for female bodied people.

Though this decision is marked as a success for the pro-choice community, this is not the only religious battle to have been fought over women’s bodies recently. The “Women’s Right to Know Act,” passed right here in North Carolina, is a clear example of how Christian ideology has infiltrated the law books. One aspect of the act, passed in October, requires that abortion providers state the following religious phrase to the person having an abortion: “The life of each human being begins at conception. Abortion will terminate the life of a separate, unique living human being.” If suggesting that a woman is a murderer for exercising her reproductive freedoms is not a direct attack on women, I don’t know what is.

During the break we were presented with a number of exciting opportunities for the coming months, the details of which will be revealed in good time, but suffice it to say, this is not the semester to miss! It’s a good thing too, because after having a somewhat relaxed semester (in terms of group activity) we are more than ready to get on the good foot and engage in some serious feministing.

To start with, FSU is proud to announce that VOX – Voices for Planned Parenthood is now a subcommittee of our group. If you are interested, VOX is a great way to advocate for full reproductive justice and rights. If you think that FSU isn’t exactly for you, VOX is yet another venue through which to exercise…well, your VOICE!

We are also proud to announce that, in addition to the many political/activist events and ventures in which we will be involved, there will be more emphasis on the social aspects of feminist communities. The hope is to provide an informal environment where feminists can feel supported in their beliefs, but where activism and political planning take a back seat to community, interaction, and good times. More details to follow shortly!

Most importantly:

We have officially set this semester’s general body meetings to 7:30pm on Wednesdays starting January 18th 2012. We hope to see you there!

Much love,

Your FSU

These days, all sides of the political spectrum attempt to claim mothers as a demographic they represent.  When it comes to Democrats and Republicans, it seems the mothers they speak of have “mom haircuts”, are white, “middle-class”, Christian, married, and around 40 years old.  But what about the hip, new moms?  What about working-class, single moms who educate themselves and raise a family?  What about black, feminist women?  Or young moms, who may still be in high school or college?

Screech.  Hold the phone.  Now it’s gettin’ sticky.  Most articles/pictures/sociological studies about young mamas end up shaming the women, how the public school systems/government has failed them, whether or not they should have the choice to terminate the pregnancy.  But what about celebrating these mamas? On this Mother’s Day I ask that viewers watch the above video, and think of one of the kickass young mamas in my life: Cathey Stanley.

Cathey is 23 years old, and just finished her first year of a Master’s program in teaching.  She aspires to teach secondary-level english, she is a gifted poet and writer, and she did her undergraduate degree in English at Carolina too.  She is one of the first FSU members I remember meeting, with her ponytail and her grace, she was a staple of meetings for me when I was an undergraduate myself.  About two and a half years ago, Cathey gave birth to a beautiful young boy, Jaiden.  Jaiden is a fun toddler, who likes monkeys and trains, babbles in the English and Spanish that Cathey taught him to speak, and is a proud little Tarheel.  Cathey is now a single mom, she is a student-teacher, ie she is in the classrooms almost full-time at Carrboro High School, but still has her graduate classes and exams, and an activist.  She is in the Coordinating Committee for FIST, a local socialist youth organization, where she fights for equal access for quality education.   She is working on her official candidacy for joining Worker’s World Party.  There have definitely been difficult times for Cathey, including not always having a reliable source of childcare, raising a multiracial child as a white woman, having to explain again and again why/how she is a pro-choice mama, and working on battling depression and taking time for self-care.  But she remains an inspiration to our feminist community, and is a great mom to J, on top of everything.  J is another leftist regular at meetings, rallies, and protests.

Here are some links to check out

– Feminist Mother’s Day Gift Guide from Viva la Feminista, a blog about motherhood and feminism written by a Latina woman.

– Feminist Mothering Advice from the megablog Feministing

– Strong Families Initiative

From Internet pornography to MTV, popular culture bombards us with sexualized images of idealized women and men, and conveys powerful messages that help shape our sexuality. These pictures jump off the screen and into our culture and are now so common place that they seep into our gender identity, our body image and especially our intimate relationships. The result is not a more liberated, edgy sexuality, but a mass produced vis…ion of sex that is profoundly sexist – a vision that limits our ability to create authentic, equal relationships that are free of violence and degradation. In this powerful multi-media presentation, Dr. Gail Dines uses examples from pornography, magazines, television shows, and movies to explore how masculinity and femininity are shaped by a consumer-driven image-based culture, and the ways public images spill over into our most private worlds.

Co-sponsored by the Carolina Women’s Center, Feminist Students
United, Carolina Against Slavery and Trafficking, Project Dinah, and
One Act, with generous support from Dr. Linnea Smith.

1. Don’t get people drunk in order to control their behavior.

2. Don’t pretend to be a caring friend in order to gain the trust of someone you want to assault. If you don’t communicate your intentions, the other person may take that as a sign that you do not plan to sexually assault them.

3. When offering assistance to an inebriated person, remember not to take advantage of the situation and assault them!

4. When you see someone walking by themselves, leave them alone!

5. Remember, consent not readily given the first time is NOT consent. If the person doesn’t excitedly say “Yes!” the first time you ask, be prepared NOT to ask again. You can practice only asking once in the mirror!

6. Remember, people go to laundry rooms to do their laundry. Do not attempt to molest someone who is alone in a laundry room.

7. USE THE BUDDY SYSTEM! If you are not able to stop yourself from assaulting people, ask a friend to stay with you while you are in public.

8. Don’t forget: you can’t have sex with someone unless they are awake!

9. Carry a whistle! If you are worried you might assault someone “on accident” you can hand it to the person you are with, so they can blow it if you do.

With this spin on the popular dialogue surrounding sexual violence, we recognize that while most men are not perpetrators, most perpetrators are men. The majority of sexual violence is men’s against women. It is up to men to end violence against women.

Feminist Students United is joining Project  Dinah’s (http://projectdinah.webs.com/) 24-Hour Rape Free Zone initiative as part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month .  A Rape-Free Zone is a community effort to declare a 24-hour truce on rape and demand an end to violence and inequality.

To support this cause is easy: individuals across our University who are participating in the Rape-Free Zone will wear a T-shirt for a 24-hour period from 8am on April 15th to 8am on April 16th that states on the front: “24-hour Rape-Free Zone. Chapel Hill, NC.” The back of the T-shirt features part of a quote by activist Andrea Dworkin, “And on that day, that day of truce… we will begin the real practice of equality.” Below her words, the T-shirt reads, “I am taking a stand against violence” and includes a pledge that states the wearer can sign to declare their support for an end to sexual violence.

For 24-hours, individuals across our campus will wear one T-shirt, one T-shirt that declares our campus and our community is a place where sexual violence is not tolerated. As these people attend their individual classes, go to their jobs, see their friends, and party, they will be impacting hundreds more other people.

Feminist Students United and Project Dinah will be in POLK PLACE on WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13 from 10am – 2pm and in the PIT on THURSDAY, APRIL 14 from 11am – 2pm.  On April 14th, at Project Dinah’s SpeakOut! Against Interpersonal Violence (7pm in the Pit; rain location Bingham 103), T-shirts and pledges will be available for last minute students to pledge to wear the shirt during the Rape-Free Zone the next day.

This Thursday April 7
9am: Join workers for an all-day sit-out in front of South Building!
12 noon: Major Rally of Workers and Students!

Join campus workers from 9am-5pm on Thursday April 7th on the steps of South Building to protest attacks on workers rights! There will be food, speakers, conversation, performances and community.

…It’s important to be there all day, or as much of the day as you can. Skip class, rearrange appointments, ask off from professors. But, if you can only make part of the day, the most important part will be from 12 noon to 1pm, when workers and students will rally and speak out to the media.

Facilities workers from around campus have decided to take vacation time and sit on the steps of South Building next Thursday to protest unfair schedule changes by management. They and other workers are courageously standing up for their rights and for a voice on the job in this time of budget cuts, tuition hikes, and other attacks on workers and students.

It’s essential that we as students support them and sit-out with them! With the climate of fear and intimidation that workers face constantly from management, it’s a risk to speak out as a worker on this campus, let alone to protest publicly. These unfair schedule changes that workers are facing are just another example of the administration trying to balance the budget on the backs of workers and students, and we’ve all got to unite to fight these attacks. As workers, they face retaliation, increased health care costs, unfair schedule changes, intimidation, and decreased benefits.

We gotta work together to fight for justice on the job and dignity in the workplace for campus workers!