Anita Borg

Anita Borg (born January 17, 1949, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.—died April 6, 2003, Sonoma, California) was an American computer scientist who advocated for women’s advancement in technology.

Borg attended the University of Washington in Seattle for two years. She later studied at New York University, where she received a doctorate (1981) for her work on synchronization efficiency in operating systems. After graduation she worked for several computer companies before joining Digital Equipment Corporation (1986–97).

In the late 1980s Borg began focusing on the lack of women in the field of technology. She subsequently undertook a number of initiatives to increase women’s participation, which she saw as not only an equity concern but also a quality-of-life issue for women around the world. In 1987 Borg founded Systers, an electronic community for women in computing. Systers grew to more than several thousand members in some 50 countries. In 1994 Borg cofounded the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, a technical conference (whose namesake, Grace Hopper, was a pioneer in early computer technology) highlighting the work of women and advocating policies intended to bring more women into science and technology. In 1997 Borg became a researcher at Xerox PARC, and later that year she created the Institute for Women and Technology; it was renamed the Anita Borg Institute in 2003.

Britannica Quiz

Computers and Technology Quiz

Borg was the recipient of numerous awards. In 1995 she received both the Pioneer Award from the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Augusta Ada Lovelace Award from the Association of Women in Computing. In addition, she was a fellow (1996) of the Association for Computing Machinery, and in 1998 she was inducted into the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame. Borg died of brain cancer in 2003.