In this episode of Breaking the 20%, we crack open the archives of early computing magazines from the 1960s and 70s — a time when keypunch girls were IN, lipstickless coders were OUT, and “dumb blondes” were considered the ideal user interface.

Join us as we explore the casual sexism, absurd hiring practices, and thinly veiled innuendo that shaped tech culture before the word “programmer” even sounded like a real job. From Susie Meyer learning PL/I to optical readers bragging they don’t take maternity leave, this is a tour through the cocktail-soaked, bias-ridden origins of the industry we call home.

Spoiler alert: The worst hiring advice from 1962 still feels a little too familiar today.

You can find the links to all the ads & article we comment on here: https://breaking20.eu/posts/sexist-ads/

more episodes at https://breaking20.eu/