“Well, nobody’s ever complained,” he told Darden. “The women seem to be happy doing that, so that’s just what they do.”
Gross. Systemic sexism at it's best. They didn't complain because they didn't want to be shamed, get indecent proposals, or fired.
These computers were all women, trained in math or a related field, and tasked with performing the calculations that determined everything from the best wing shape for an airplane, to the best flight path to the moon. But despite the crucial roles they played in advancing this and other NASA research, they were treated like unskilled temporary workers.
Too bad there wasn't a union, or a more effective union if there was one.
By the time that Darden joined NASA, its Virginia facility had been officially desegregated for several years. But it had yet to reckon with the unofficial segregation of both race and gender that remained in place—particularly among its women employees known as computers.
Talk about a toxic work environment!