Today is Ada Lovelace Day!
Why celebrating women in STEM fields is so important:
Who is Ada Lovelace?
Ada Lovelace was a 19th century mathematician and writer. She published the first algorithm to be used on Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine. As a result, she is regarded by most as the first computer programmer. She considered herself a political scientist, analyst, and metaphysician.
The first ISO object-oriented programming language was named Ada, after Lovelace. Every year since 1988 BSC has awarded the Lovelace Medal to those who have made outstanding contributions to computing. Though there has been some contention as to the extent of her contribution to Babbage's Analytical Engine, she is still acknowledged as the first person to realise that the potential of the computer went beyond calculation.
What is Ada Lovelace Day?
Ada Lovelace Day was established in October 2009 by Suw Charman-Anderson and is now held on the 2nd Tuesday of every October. The day celebrates women, advocates and educators in STEM, with the goal to "... raise the profile of women in science, technology, engineering, and maths," and to "create new role models for girls and women."
The day includes events such as a ‘science cabaret’ in London, at which women in STEM give short talks about their work. Organisers have also generated Wikipedia 'editathons' to improve the representation of women in STEM online and tackle the gender bias on Wikipedia.
Why does it matter?
The day is significant considering the ongoing gender inequality within STEM disciplines. In education, across core STEM subjects an average of 26% of students are female (2019). However in engineering and computer science, the percentage of female students is only 19% (2019). Among professionals, only 24% of the workforce is female (2019).
Furthermore, women in STEM often face workplace discrimination from their male colleagues. Investigations conducted at the Pew Research Center found that as of 2017, 50% of women working in STEM had experienced gender discrimination at work, and 36% stated that sexual harassment was a problem in their workplace.
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If women and men are not equally encouraged, and treated fairly within STEM fields, then we cannot reap the benefits of our full scientific capabilities!
Sources for this post:
Ada Lovelace Day 2022: https://findingada.com
Ada Computer Language: https://www.britannica.com/technology/Ada-computer-language
BSC Lovelace Medal: https://www.bcs.org/events/awards-and-competitions/lovelace-medal/
Women in Stem Statistics: https://www.stemwomen.com/women-in-stem-percentages-of-women-in-stem-statistics
Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity: https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2018/01/09/women-and-men-in-stem-often-at-odds-over-workplace-equity/
