To commemorate Women’s History Month, we will be examining articles that allow us to reflect on the past, present, and future of women. We encourage you to read our summaries as well as the articles themselves and share this with your friends. If you want to learn more about the history of Women’s History Month, start here. If you have feedback or suggestions for future articles, contact Kate Mazzotta, Communications Manager, at kate@tgpdenver.org.

Before the mid-1980s, coding was a career for women. At MIT, 35% of computer and mathematics positions were held by women. At Raytheon, it was 50%.

Programming, at that time, required a meticulous mindset. One woman described herself as doing programming in her head, predicting the result before it happened. With computers existing only in the hallways of tech giants—not personal homes—coding was a career based on aptitude, not pre-existing knowledge or advanced degrees. It was the rare white-collar job in which women could thrive. Ads and brochures promised women that they could make $20,000 a year as a coder—that’s $150,000 in today’s money.

Then, everything changed.

Read the full article here.

We’re choosing to celebrate Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day because, in addition to raising awareness around women’s issues, The Gathering Place helps women every day. We are metropolitan Denver’s only daytime shelter for women, children, and transgender individuals experiencing poverty and homelessness. While we refer to those we serve as members, all of our programs and services are free, and they always will be.

Celebrate Women’s History Month by supporting the women we serve! Give now. And be sure to share this article with your friends so they can join the celebration.