Women’s Contributions to HP

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The road into the tech industry has not historically been a smooth one for women. Even though women made profoundly important contributions from the earliest days of Silicon Valley, those contributions were often overlooked, minimized, or even hidden. At Hewlett-Packard, however, vintage company publications and photographs can tell us a great deal about the crucial role women played at the company, both on the business and manufacturing sides. Take a look at the ways women were on the front lines at Hewlett-Packard from the beginning, paving the way for future generations of women to assume the most influential and powerful roles at the company.

Vicky Sweetser featured on the cover of the Hewlett-Packard Journal with the 3421A in February 1983.
Channel Surfing: HP 3421A
Lynn Tillman and Janet Loustanou giving Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard a tutorial on the HP 70 financial calculator.
Calculations: Bill and Dave Tutored on HP 70
Dave Packard chatting and shaking hands with a female employee at HP.
Greeting Employees: A Dialogue with Dave
Photo of Madie Schneider (left), Margaret Paull (right) & Leah Klick (center), secretaries who worked with Bill and Dave.
Stellar Secretaries
Getting Technical: Women Technicians
Carly Fiorina rings the bell to open the NYSE after acquiring Compaq.
In Charge: Carly Fiorina as HP CEO
A photo of Ercil Joseph calibrating Hewlett-Packard's 608 signal generator.
Ercil Joseph Breaks Calibrating Record
The cover of Watt's Current from January 1957 featuring men and women in the Wiring & Assembly section working side-by-side.
A Wide Scope: HP 150A Oscilloscope
Cover of Watt's Current from April 26, 1946 featuring Helen Culver on the cover seated at a typewriter.
Helen Vogue: Receptionist & Columnist
A woman working at HP's production site in Bergamo, Italy.
New Production Site in Bergamo
A photo of Digital Equipment Corporation's TYPESET-8, a turnkey computer system from 1968.
At Attention: HP Attenuator Department
A woman assembling a Hewlett-Packard oscillator in the 1950s or 1960s.
Booming Production
Sandy Metz and Two-Board Microcomputer
A man and woman working together in 1956.
Women and Men Working Together
Three women talking at the HP facilities in Boise, Idaho, with other employees in the background.
Women at HP: Business in Boise
Four female members of HP's office staff in the 1960s.
Administrating Growth at HP
A woman works on a circuit board at the Roseville manufacturing facility in 1993.
On Board: HP Roseville Facility
Cover of R&D Network from the fall of 1986 featuring Collen Kimble working on the final assembly of a series 10C calculator.
The Importance of Women in Silicon Valley
A photo of Anne Laudel at her desk in the 1960s.
Laudel: Receptionist to Personnel Manager
Dave Packard speaking with a female employee in the 1960s.
HP Emphasizes Culture and Community
Cover of Watt's Current from November 1962 featuring a woman working on a cathode ray tube.
Constructing a Cathode-Ray Tube
Cover of Watt's Current from June 1957 featuring Barbara Brown and June Wessel working at Stanford Unit no. 2.
Front and Center: Product Assembly
A group of 12 female employees of Hewlett-Packard pose for a photo in an office in the 1960s.
Women at Hewlett-Packard: A Storied Legacy
Cover of Watt's Current from May 24, 1946 featuring Billie Howard and Marge Normal working in the stockroom.
Stocking Up: The Stockroom Workforce
The cover of Watt's Current from January 1961 with Patrica Vogt & Wally Brann working on a Dressagraph Multilift Model 1275.
A Lift: Dressagraph Multilift Model 1275
Two women working the Hewlett-Packard exhibit at the Fourth Tokyo International Trade Fair.
HP at Fourth Tokyo International Trade Fair
Photo of an unnamed female employee at work at Hewlett-Packard.
Women Well-Represented at HP
Two women working on the production line assembling Hewlett-Packard Integral luggable PCs in 1985.
Integral Employees: Women at HP
Woman working at a workstation in Hewlett-Packard's Bergamo Hardcopy Operation in 1995.
Production, Italian Style: HP Bergamo
A wide shot of HP employees working on the production line at Stanford Research Park in Palo Alto.
At Stanford: HP’s Expansion in 1960
Copy of Watt's Current from August 16, 1946 with Marjorie Kidd, Barbara Ames and others working in the Drafting Department.
Top Draft Pick: HP’s Drafting Department
A woman etching circuits at the Palo Alto facility in the 1950s or 1960s.
Running the Circuit: Women Technicians
Cover of Watt's Current from March 8, 1946 featuring a production line of mostly women.
A Riveting Job: Wartime Women at HP
Cover of Watt's Current from April 1957 featuring Maizy Orme, Mary Jo Murray, Joann Hunsake and Helen Gualtieri.
Lazy Susans Improve Production at HP
A woman working in the Stanford plant in the late 1950s.
Strong at Stanford: Women at the Plant
Female employees working at the Palo Alto production facility in the 1950s or 1960s.
Women and Heavy Machinery at HP
A photo of women employees in the Pre-Fab section of Building 1 at Palo Alto.
A Pre-Fabulous Team
HP employees in a production facility with three women soldering in the foreground.
Women Demonstrate Intense Focus at HP
The cover of Watt's Current from April 5, 1946 showcasing women working in HP's offices.
Women in the Workplace: On the Clock
Watt's Current cover from April 12, 1946 featuring Caroline Kusske at work.
Caroline Kusske: A Winding Wiz
A group of six women celebrating Hewlett-Packard's 15th anniversary.
15th Anniversary: Women Established at HP
A photo of three women working in an office performing marketing and public relations duties.
HP’s Marketing & PR Get Sophisticated