How 1980s Home Computer Ads Marketed to Boys and Shaped Tech's Gender Gap
By
mastazi
If you only eat one bagel today, this is the bagel.
Summary
A deep dive into early 1980s home computer advertisements, examining how marketing targeted boys and contributed to the drastic drop in female computer science applicants during that era. The article analyzes vintage ads from brands like Apple, Commodore, Atari, and Tandy/Radio Shack, exploring gender stereotypes in tech marketing and their long-lasting impact on the gender gap in computing.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledIn the early 1980:s, roughly coinciding with the launch of popular home computers like the Apple II, Commodore 64, Atari 400 and TRS-80, the ratio of female applicants to enroll in computer science dropped drastically, at least in the US.
One reason given for this is that home computers were specifically marketed as being for boys.
The ads of the era reveal a clear pattern of targeting young males, reinforcing the idea that computing was a masculine pursuit.
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