A History of Women Entering the IBM Automation Workforce

As our research of Tom Watson Sr. enters the year 1944, we have updated the information of "firsts" for the women of IBM.

​World War II was raging in full in Europe and Asia. U.S and Canadian IBM men and women were putting their lives on the line in both arenas and their spouses and children were doing their best to support them in the conflict back home.

Women picked up toolkits and went to work.

The struggle opened up opportunities for women and the timeline is now updated with a few new "firsts" we have discovered. Some were directed from headquarters. Some were taken by individual branch managers who seemed to have acted on Tom Watson's ideals of "THINK and ACT."

One branch manager appears to have ensured that the company could keep servicing their customers.

Women were sent out to put hands on hardware and repair it.

Read About women in the 20th Century ibm workplace