Training of Engineer-Technical Specialists: Gender Stereotypes in the Professional Sphere

Abstract

The article highlights the urgency of the problem of training engineering and technical professionals, taking into account the development of technology and social challenges of the market economy. Emphasis is placed on the need to ensure gender equality in the choice of engineering professions, equal opportunities for men and women. The essence of the concepts: “gender”, “gender pedagogy”, “gender culture”, “gender socialization”, “gender stereotypes”, “gender competence”, “gender education”, “gender inequality”, “gender roles” and others are substantiated. It is determined that gender studies are of great interest for pedagogical and psychological science, as they relate to the gender-role socialization of a person, his/her personal and professional development. The results of an empirical study on gender stereotypes in occupational choice among students of Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas are presented (110 people took part in the survey). It has been revealed that gender is not the prerogative of many young people in engineering profession choice, however, such stereotypes still exist in the society. It was proven that for future professionals in this field, gender discrimination took place in their lives (28.4% of respondents) and it is mostly female who acquire technical professions. One third of students (32%) admitted that they had faced cases of unequal wages to men and women. It has been proven that negative gender stereotypes are more subjective than objective, which gives hope for a fundamental possibility of overcoming them in the training of specialists at the Technical University.

Improvement of the Quality of Future Engineers’ Social and Humanitarian Training in the Higher Technical Education Institution

“…To some extent, gender stereotypes and ideas are observed in the engineering professions choice in the world, especially regarding the ability of girls to work well in the field of high technology. According to the study, 38% of the total number of Ukrainian students surveyed at the Technical University indicated stereotypes in society about the "masculinity" of engineering and technical professions [15]. That is why today it is extremely important to support women who have chosen the profession of engineering and are studying at a technical institution of higher education.…”