engineering career

Engineering's Gender Problem

By Dylan Smith 1 August, 2023 2 mins read

Engineers face a gender problem. The profession is left empty-handed by more than 40% skilled women. There are many articles that have been written about the reasons women leave engineering. How can we change this statistic? We will be looking at some of the contributing factors to the problem in this article.

Manufacture of few female role models

According to UNESCO data, 35% STEM students have a female mentor. This can be due to stereotypes and cultural barriers as well lack of confidence and vision. These are the reasons why more female engineers need to be visible. By creating role models that inspire women, it is possible to increase the number female engineers. This is the goal of the Professional School of Software Engineering, which recently created such role models.

Although there are many male role examples in engineering, it is important for women to be recognized. However, this problem is not insurmountable. There are many ways to solve this problem. One way to address this problem is to recognize the gender gap and look for female role models. The second way is to search for role models who can be both male or female.

Lack of female leaders in engineering

Recent research has shown that the policies and practices of an organization can partially explain women's inability to lead in engineering. Some women working in engineering report good working relationships with their coworkers, and they enjoy engineering tasks. Others cite a lack of mentoring from their supervisors and discrimination. It could also be because women have not met their needs.

There aren’t enough role models for women to inspire them. This is why female engineers have a shortage of leaders. This lack of role models makes it difficult for new generations of female engineers to find mentors. The solution to addressing this problem is to encourage more women to join engineering.

Uneven treatment

The persistence of women engineers is negatively affected by cultural and structural barriers. Like many high-paying professions in the past, engineering was dominated by men. Because of this, it is often more difficult for women and girls to fight against inequality. These issues can be overcome.

To overcome this bias, it is important to listen to and prioritize your own inner voice. Women engineers often feel they are not respected and are not considered "real engineers" because of this bias. This research shows that feeling valued can create chronic stress and make it difficult for female engineers to manage other stressors. This can lead to burnout, and even the possibility of leaving engineering.

Microaggressions

Engineers are subject to microaggressions. However, these can be managed or eliminated through strategies that encourage diversity. These negative experiences may prevent some women from continuing in the engineering profession. The research seeks to understand microaggressions in engineering programs, and devise strategies to stop them.

Several studies have suggested that microaggressions against women in STEM fields are common. These experiences can be detrimental to professional identity and psychological health of women. These experiences can be attributed to internalised sexism, as some women claim.

FAQ

What types of jobs can I find if I major in engineering?

Engineers can find employment in almost every industry, including manufacturing, transportation, energy, communications, healthcare, finance, government, education, and defense.

Engineers who are specialists in a particular field can often find employment at certain companies or organizations.

An example of this is that electrical engineers can work for telecommunications firms, medical device makers, or computer chip manufacturers.

Software developers might work with websites or mobile app designers.

Computer programmers could work for tech companies like Google or Microsoft, Apple, Amazon or Facebook.

What do electrical engineers do?

They develop power systems for people.

They are responsible for the design, construction, testing, installation, maintenance, and repair of all types electric equipment used in industry, government, and commercial customers.

They also plan, direct, and coordinate the installation of these system, which may include coordination with other trades such architects, contractors and plumbers.

Electricians design and install electronic devices, circuits and other components that convert electricity into usable forms.

Is engineering hard to study?

It depends on your definition of "hard". If you mean difficult, then yes, but if you mean boring, then no. Engineering is not hard because it requires lots of maths and physics.

If you want to learn how to do something, go for it! To become an engineer, you don't necessarily have to be an engineer.

As long as you are interested in engineering, it is fun.

Engineering isn't hard if you know the basics. This is not true.

The reason engineers think they are boring is because they haven’t done anything else.

They have stuck with the same thing day after day.

There are many methods to solve problems. Each method has its pros and cons. They all have their advantages and disadvantages, so try them all and decide which one you like best.

Statistics

14% of Industrial engineers design systems that combine workers, machines, and more to create a product or service to eliminate wastefulness in production processes, according to BLS efficiently. (snhu.edu)
Typically required education: Bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering Job growth outlook through 2030: 8% Aerospace engineers specialize in designing spacecraft, aircraft, satellites, and missiles. (snhu.edu)