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Programmed inequality : how Britain discarded women technologists and lost its edge in computing
Hicks M., The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 2017. 352 pp. Type: Book (978-0-262035-54-5)
Date Reviewed: Jun 6 2018

From 1930 to 1980, the transformation from underpaid labor to equal pay for workers can truly be stated as a radical change for British women opting for computing jobs. In Britain, the position of female workers as computer operators or technicians was mainly in government, public, or civil sectors. This book addresses this issue.

The book comprises five chapters, an unnumbered introduction and conclusion, a short appendix, elaborated notes and bibliography, and a short index. The author introduces Britain’s computer revolution using three assumptions: a feminized field presumes the work to be simple; more machines means fewer laborers; and a gendered labor change as such would result in no women, no interest, and no skills.

Chapter 1 perpetuates the period from 1930 to 1946, covering World War II and its exigencies of having female workers for high-speed wartime code breaking. In chapter 2, the author discusses equal pay for women in government and industry, mainly public sector jobs, in the period from 1946 to 1955. Chapter 3 covers the period from 1955 to 1967; the author claims a shortage of female workers or laborers, which adversely affected Britain’s computing scope. Chapter 4 expands on the increase in female workers in computing during the short period of 1965 to 1969; however, there were fewer promotions and open posts in the government sector. In chapter 5, covering 1969 to 1979, the author highlights the enactment of the Equal Pay Act 1970, in 1975, proclaiming equal pay for women, from low-level laborers to high-level executives. The author concludes that “all history of computing is gendered history,” and a social problem became a technological problem that hastened Britain’s decline in computing.

According to the author, the essence of this book lies in the labor practices prevailing in Britain throughout the period from 1930 to 1979. The pictorial examples from magazines make this book an interesting read irrespective of one’s field, whether it be computing, technology, or human resources. The appendix, which includes a timeline of key events in Britain relating to technological change from September 1939 to 2008, also makes this book worth reading.

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Reviewer:  Lalit Saxena Review #: CR146068 (1808-0419)
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