Women Engineers: Factors and Obstacles Related to the Pursuit of a Degree in Engineering

Abstract

Research on women in engineering confirms the presence of gender barriers that affect the recruitment and retention of women in engineering. These barriers stop some women from choosing engineering as a field of study, and impede some women from completing a degree in engineering. However, there are few young female students who complete their engineering education despite the presence of obstacles throughout their college years. Systematic research that studies the experiences of these women is lacking. Research concerning the experiences of female scientists and engineers is needed because it is likely to suggest methods for improving the engineering environment in a manner that will attract further female participation.This study sought to advance current women in engineering research by identifying the obstacles and factors related to the pursuit of a degree in engineering by female students. Two major data collection methods were used for this study. First, a survey was developed, and was used to obtain insightful information to determine the factors that have hindered and assisted graduating female engineering students in deciding to pursue and in completing a degree in Engineering. Second, focus groups were conducted with a random sample of the graduating female engineering students to obtain detailed information on their experiences in deciding to pursue and in completing a degree in engineering.This study addressed the factors that have hindered, motivated, and assisted women who were graduating with a degree in engineering. By studying and understanding the barriers that hinder women in deciding to pursue and in completing a degree in engineering, as well as, the factors that assist and encourage them, we can learn how to break down the barriers and how to facilitate the educational journey of female engineering students. This study gives us valuable insights and created a framework from which high schools, universities, researchers, and female students can directly benefit.

Graduates Of 2-Year Engineering and Engineering Technician Programmes in The U.S. And The U.K.

“…Matriculation by females versus males in associate's degree programs in engineering and engineering technologies was 1:10. This was unfortunate in light of the background information by Wentling and Camacho (2008) that revealed only 10% of high school females expressed disinterest in engineering. Lord et al (2009) emphasized a similar observation, as women make up 58% of all undergraduates, they represent the greatest potential source of engineers.…”

Negotiations of cultural identities by Indian women engineering students in US engineering programmes

“…In the US, approximately 20% of students in engineering disciplines are women (Barr, 2006;NSF, 2012;Phipps, 2002;Wentling & Camacho, 2008). NSF statistics show that in 2012, women awarded master's degrees in engineering constituted 22.9% of the total Master's degree awarded in engineering while those awarded Ph.D. degrees in engineering were 22.3% (NSF, 2012).…”

“…These distinctive experiences of women in graduate engineering programmes are worthwhile to explore as these programmes are largely patriarchal, reproducing cultural norms that exclude women (for overview please see, Faulkner, 2009;Tonso, 2006a;Wentling & Camacho, 2008).…”

Engineering Doctoral Degree Trend of Asian-American Women in the United States, 1994-2013

“…[7] reveals that about a third of graduating female undergraduate engineering students interviewed at a university in the Midwest in the U.S. reported barriers from the family. More specifically, their family members could not provide assistance in science or math homework, did not support their decision to major in engineering, could not financially support them, or pushed them to choose a traditional female field such as teaching or nursing.…”

“…Other institutional barriers in the U.S. include limited information about college engineering programs or engineering careers at high school [7]. In addition, in engineering departments, female students often feel excluded from informal events in which mostly men participate because the women do not have access to such opportunities.…”