Of my programmer friends and classmates who quickly landed good jobs, only one ever took the initiative to ask his boss to consider hiring me. The others just smiled and shrugged when I begged for career advice.
Once I had squeezed into my first company, I rarely received support from my coworkers, and mostly advanced my skills through staying at work for extra hours and spending lonely weekends on side projects. I've come a long way, but I still wonder how far ahead I would be today if I'd just received a bit more support early on.
I'm not convinced that there is widespread sexism in the computer industry, because I've worked alongside and been managed by many fantastic women, and witnessed them advance as quickly as me.
However, I think it's a rare individual who can become a great programmer without having strong support, mentorship and encouragement. Women need that support just as crucially as men, and it's important to draw attention to the places where they are not receiving it.