National WebMistress Day recognizes women in web development on August 26.
A WebMistress is a woman who designs, develops, markets and maintains websites. The term has existed since the mid-1990s. The term officially entered technology’s lexicon in June of 1995. That month, Kat Valentine secured the domain name WebMistress.com. Taking the name a step further, Valentine then began web development under the job title WebMistress. Comparatively, the term WebMaster arrived on the scene as early as 1986, according to various classified ads.
Now, thousands of women work under the job title WebMistress. More than 20 years later, the word still raises eyebrows. However, WebMistress has a place not only on the résumé but is a legitimate job title in the business world. Take the time to acknowledge the women in web development to promote the job title in the business and lose the stigma associated with the word.
