Background: Research on gender differences and practical initiatives to attract girls to engineering are often carried out at the macro level where science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are aggregated into an entity called STEM. Purpose/Hypothesis: This article challenges the aggregated approach, analyzes gender differences among science and engineering applicants in Finland, and discusses the implications of the findings for engineering education and intervention initiatives.Design/Method: The data consist of the application choices of all applicants to Bachelor studies in Finland in 2016 (151,369 individuals), from which two groups were selected: persons whose first application choice was engineering/ technology and persons whose first choice was natural sciences or mathematics.The application choices of these individuals (in total 9,104) are statistically described and analyzed. Results: Engineering/technology (TECH) and natural sciences and mathematics (SCIMA) subjects are not perceived as alternative options by female applicants. Almost 60% of all female TECH applicants and more than 50% of the female SCIMA applicants apply only to their respective programs. Moreover, TECH applicants considering other options prefer other subjects to SCIMA and vice versa.Conclusions: Encouraging more girls to study STEM is not a sufficient solution for attracting more women to engineering. Instead of or in addition to encouraging girls to study science and mathematics in K-12 education, it is necessary to open the black box of technology and help young people better understand what engineering is about. K E Y W O R D S gender diversity, higher education, identity, STEM

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Formation of professional identity is a process where individuals attempt to bring together the social expectations set for them as professionals and their own interests and values. The cultural landscape of engineering is masculine in various ways, which can be challenging especially for female engineers who need to match the cultural expectations with their personal identities. So far, few studies have compared the professional identities of early-career men and women engineers. This study aims to understand the professional identities of newly graduated Finnish male and female engineers by analysing their perceptions of the importance and development of professional engineering skills. An analysis of crosssectional survey data of more than 4000 early-career engineers suggests some gender differences related to professional identities and indicates that the observed differences in values and perceived skills can put women at a greater risk of dropping out of an engineering career.

Tarkastelemme artikkelissamme naisten ja miesten kokemuksia sukupuoleen perustuvasta syrjinnästä tekniikan korkeakoulutettujen työpaikoilla. Aiemmat tutkimukset tekniikan alalla ovat selvittäneet naisten kokemaa syrjintää, mutta miesten kokemukset ovat jääneet pitkälti näkymättömiksi. Aineistomme koostuu syrjintää koskevista kysymyksistä tekniikan alan ammattiliiton toteuttamissa kahdessa selvityksessä: vuonna 2015 toteutetussa laajassa jäsentutkimuksessa sekä vuonna 2020 toteutetussa otostutkimuksessa. Tuloksemme todentavat aikaisempien tutkimusten mukaisesti naisten tekniikan alalla kohtaaman syrjinnän mutta tuottavat uutta tietoa sen yleisyydestä ja ilmenemismuodoista. Aineistomme osoittaa, että naisten kokema syrjintä liittyy vahvasti työpaikoilla vallitsevaan maskuliiniseen kulttuuriin. Rinnalle nousevat miesten kokemukset naisten suosimisesta, jotka myös liitämme tekniikan alalla vallitsevaan maskuliinisuusnormiin. Johtopäätöksenä esitämme, että maskuliinisuuden ensisijaisuus tekniikan alalla aiheuttaa naisten syrjintää ja toisaalta maskuliinisen etuoikeuden purkaminen synnyttää miehissä syrjinnän kokemuksia. Tarvittavan kulttuurimuutoksen onnistumisen edellytys on tasa-arvoon ja syrjintään liittyvien sukupuolten välisten näkemyserojen tunnistaminen ja tunnustaminen.