The Algorithm of Her, 2025
An interactive data visualization showcasing women’s presence in computer science using D3.js.
What happened to women in computing?
Computing was once considered menial and unimportant job, to put simply a "women's" job. Given so, women made significant, yet often forgotten or overlooked contributions to the industry.
The beginning of modern computing can be traced back to 19th century with Ada Lovelace, the first to create an algorithm executed by a computer.
Timeline of Women’s Achievements in Computer Science —
Women in STEM from 1993 to 2019 in the United States —
Source(s): National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Scientists and Engineers Statistical Data System (SESTAT), 1993–2013, National Survey of College Graduates (NSCG), 2015–19, and Survey of Doctorate Recipients (SDR), 2015–19.
Computer and math scientists
Biology, agricultural, and environmental life scientists
Physical scientists
Social scientists
Engineers
Women’s participation in computer science and math steadily declined from 30.8% in 1993 to 25.8% in 2019.
The declining trend in women earning computer science degrees from 1993 to 2019 contrasts sharply with trends in other STEM fields, suggesting field-specific barriers that have not been addressed over time.
There is no singular cause we can trace this decline to, but there may have been many factors that played a role.