how could such bias about programming have endured during the rise and fall of the whole field?

I can't believe that during my entire career as a computer programmer (now degraded to "coder") that not only hasn't any progress been made the bias against women in computer careers, but if anything it is getting worse.

For example,
take this article:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/07/06/future_machines_win/
"Ian Pearson, resplendent in the job title Futurologist, says machine intelligence is going to take over many traditionally male jobs, that is "jobs that require intellect", such as programming. These jobs will be automated, he says, leaving the male workforce without a cranial hemisphere to, er, stand on."

For some major technology firm to have a spokesperson who allegedly says such outrageous things, is unbelievable. Is it really 2006?
I wouldn't doubt that programming jobs will decline, but the 'traditionally male' part is definitely just that, a tradition of sex bias.

And most amazingly, the 'intellectual skills are a male-thing' crowd can promote that theory even in the face of simultaneously complaining that men are discriminated against in the educational system, causing declining male enrollment:
http://www.educationsector.org/analysis/analysis_show.htm?doc_id=378705
http://insidehighered.com/news/2006/04/26/gender

I would say tho that any women viewing such biased opinions as vouched by BT or the former
Harvard president (which speech has disappeared
off Harvard's web site) are exactly right that computer science is a poor field to go into due to the persistent discrimination against women,
not to mention other issues about the viability of the career such as the futurologist predicts. http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:Z4eMQ6cQqykJ:www.president.harvard.e...