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6 hours ago
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A ground-breaking entrepreneur
By the early 1960s, now a British citizen and married with a new name, Stephanie Shirley was becoming frustrated with the low expectations, inequality and sexism that women faced in the workplace. She decided to start her own company, selling software. It was called Freelance Programmers, and it was staffed by women working from home, blazing a trail for flexible working practices for women with caring responsibilities. 297 of the first 300 staff were women. At the time, when a woman couldn’t open a bank account without her husband’s permission, this idea was truly revolutionary.
Sadly, the industry was not so forward-thinking, and people either laughed at the idea or were openly hostile. Many of Stephanie’s business development letters were simply ignored. At her dear husband Derek’s suggestion, Stephanie began signing her letters using the family nickname Steve, and was able to get a foot in the door before anyone realised that he was a she. Over the decades to follow the business flourished, and Dame Stephanie has been known as Steve ever since.
