PROGRAMMED INEQUALITY How Britain Discarded Women Technologists and Lost Its Edge in Computing

Becky White narrates this book about prejudice against female pioneers in technology in the United Kingdom. After WWII, labor practices in technology there perpetuated the social stereotypes of the early twentieth century. These included the women's ceasing to work when they got married, designating specific jobs and fields as "women's work," and paying lower wages to women, even though they were the sole breadwinner in many cases. This reversion to prewar labor practices undermined the development of the U.K.'s computer industry, causing it to fall behind companies like IBM in the U.S. Maintaining a steady pace throughout, White presents the many excerpts from interviews in an engaging manner and imparts statistics clearly. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2018]