Dear Tech Bros, It’s Not 1983 Anymore (A Love Letter From a Woman in STEM)

By: A Woman Who Codes, Debugs, and Sometimes Cries in the Server Room

Let’s talk about that time you walked into a meeting, coffee in one hand, swagger in the other—and were immediately asked if you were “taking notes.” Classic. Welcome to the timeline where women in tech still get mistaken for the office assistant, despite having more certifications than a Cisco server rack.

This blog is for the girlies in the code trenches, for the ones who’ve debugged a product and a sexist remark in the same sprint. Inspired by Elaine Richardson’s powerful reflection, this is our love letter to STEM—messy, brilliant, brutally honest, and deeply caffeinated.

🚧 From Netball to Networks

Elaine’s story kicks off with a real gem: she wasn’t allowed to take Physics at school… because it clashed with girls’ P.E. Yep. Netball was prioritized over Newton. She found a workaround (girl boss energy) and eventually began her tech career in the 1980s, when floppy disks were a thing and shoulder pads were mandatory.

Despite early challenges, she thrived—proof that systemic barriers can be broken with brilliance and a healthy dose of stubbornness.

💼 “Why Are All My Managers Named Steve?”

In her first job, Elaine noticed something odd: her teams had decent gender diversity, but management was as male as a beard oil convention. This gender drop-off wasn’t subtle—it was a cliff.

Every woman in tech has had that “Oh wow, I really am the only one in this Slack channel” moment. Elaine’s story reminds us that representation doesn’t stop at hiring—it needs to reach the top floor too. With ergonomic chairs, preferably.

🛠️ Freelancing: The Ultimate Side Quest

Elaine pivoted to freelance IT contracting and stood out—not just because she was good, but because she was the only woman doing it. Some hiring managers even admitted she got the gig because she was different. On one hand: yay visibility! On the other, why are we still rewarding novelty over merit?

Let’s normalize women being everywhere in tech—front-end, back-end, management, DevOps, QA, and yes, even infrastructure (gasp!).

😒 Subtle Sexism: Now With 80% Less Accountability

One of the most relatable parts of Elaine’s article? The subtle discrimination. Not being invited to team outings. The way men “joked” that women were too emotional for coding (buddy, have you ever tried squashing a bug while on your period?!).

Discrimination isn't always loud. Sometimes it whispers. Sometimes it skips you on the email thread.

We see you, microaggressions. You’re not that micro.

👩‍💻 Strategic Complaining Is a Superpower

Rather than confronting every guy who thought she was “too nice” to lead a dev team, Elaine played the long game. She went over heads. Spoke to senior management. Documented everything.

This is your sign: document it all. A Google Doc a day keeps the gaslighters away.

🌟 To Every Woman Debugging This Industry

If you’ve ever been the only woman in a Zoom call, been asked to “add a touch of femininity to the design,” or gently corrected someone for the third time that yes, you do know what an API is—this blog is for you.

You’re not a diversity checkbox. You’re not a quota fill.
You’re a freaking pioneer.

✨ Final Thoughts (Typed While Tired But Empowered)

Tech isn’t broken—but it’s definitely buggy.
We don’t need pink keyboards. We need pay parity.
We don’t need “support for women.” We need equity.

Let’s stop asking if girls can code. Let’s start asking why we’re still surprised when they do it better.

And to Elaine Richardson—thank you for telling your story. You lit the way, and now we’re lighting up the whole dang motherboard.

Read Elaine's full piece here → Women in Tech: Discrimination in Software