main circuit boards that connect all components of a computer
from mother (main/primary) + board (flat surface)
The motherboard is like the nervous system of a computer - everything connects through mom!
The term 'motherboard' emerged in the 1980s alongside 'daughterboard' in computing, applying family kinship metaphors to circuit boards. This maternal/filial hierarchy, while ostensibly technical, reified a gendered logic in technology naming conventions and perpetuated motherboard associations with feminine 'support' infrastructure.
Use motherboard and daughterboard as established technical terms, but recognize the gendered metaphor. In new contexts, consider neutral alternatives like 'primary board' and 'secondary board'.
["primary board","secondary board","main board","expansion board"]
Women engineers—including pioneering hardware designers like Hedy Lamarr and later women in semiconductor fabrication—have been eclipsed by masculine framing of 'the brain' (CPU) versus gendered 'supporting' infrastructure.
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