Gendered Bits: Identities, Practices and Artifacts in Computing

Gendered Bits exhibit sign with mannequins

Introduction

In the summer of 2008, the Charles Babbage Institute's (CBI) then Archivist, R. Arvid Nelsen presented the exhibit Gendered Bits: Identities, Practices and Artifacts in Computing. This exhibit brought to the forefront a discussion on the critically important theme of gender in computing, specifically the notable inequity in gender representation -- or "gender gap" -- in contemporary computing professions.

During the opening week of the exhibit in May of 2008, CBI hosted a two day, international conference featuring invited speakers from six countries and including both outreach to a general public audience and specialized scholarly discussion. These discussions supported the theme of this conference and drew attention to the rich resources addressing this topic in the collections held by CBI featured in the exhibit which explored possible historical antecedents and foundations for this gap.

Today you will see virtual replications of the signs from the original exhibit which represent its specific themes. Clicking on each will bring you to the descriptive text and a sampling of materials presented in case.

Special thanks to visiting scholars Dr. Janet Abbate, Dr. Veronika Oechtering and CBI staff Dr. Thomas J. Misa, Dr. Jeffrey Yost, and Stephanie H. Crowe.