The history of the Internet, from its inception, has often been associated with men, yet women have played important roles in its development and evolution. Despite facing sexism and patriarchy at their workplace, lack of recognition and credit for their work, limited opportunities for them to advance, and even bias, these women fought to be part of history in a male-dominated field.
They worked tirelessly to challenge stereotypes, and while some often worked behind the scenes, they contributed to the development of the Internet.
Their stories serve as an inspiration for future generations of women in tech, and today, we recognise their achievements and honour their legacy.
Here are some women who have been instrumental in the evolution of the Internet:
Ada Lovelace: Ada Lovelace was the first computer programmer. She wrote the first algorithm, now recognised as an early model for computer software, and paved the way for modern computer programming.
Hedy Lamarr: A successful actress and an inventor, an example of “You can succeed in whatever you put your mind to”. Lamarr invented frequency-hopping technology that would later be used to create WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth communication systems.
Radia Perlman: Perlman, popularly known as the Mother of the Internet, is an American computer programmer and network engineer. She invented the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) and the algorithm was created to prevent loops. STP allows data to travel through one network without disruption: it’s like allowing more devices to connect to the network.
Jean Bartik: She and five other women – Betty Holberton, Marilyn Wescoff, Kathleen McNulty, Ruth Teitelbaum, and Frances Spence – known as the “sensational Six,” were the main programmers for the ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator) computer, widely recognised as the first all-electronic digital computer. They were assigned to set up problems for ENIAC without formal training or a manual. These women, along with others who remain unrecognised, made significant contributions to the development of ENIAC during the wartime male labour shortage
Gladys West: She is an African American Mathematician who played a huge part and contributed to the development of the Global Positioning System, popularly known as GPS.
Elizbeth Joycelyn Fienler: She is an American information scientist who worked with a group of people to operate the Network Information Center (NIC) for ARPANET, which later evolved into the internet. She created the first domain name system (DSN) and assigned the first domain names (.com, .org, .edu, .gov). She also contributed to the first e-mail protocol.
Karen Spärck Jones: A self-taught British programmer and computer scientist who was responsible for the concept of Inverse Document Frequency (IDF), which laid the foundation of modern search engines. Her slogan was, “Computing is too important to be left to Men.”
These women and many more have contributed to making us enjoy the internet as we know it today. Their legacies continue to inspire and empower women in tech.