Why should there be more female engineers? Having more female representation signifies more model representations for future generations. It also reduces the misconceptions that engineering is a male-dominated field where only men can do this job. We belong to an era where traditional views have no longer an impact on us. We need to bring changes in order to show that we are indeed a modern progressive society.
Success?
Women compose half of the general population, but their numbers are quite underrepresented in engineering. They are disproportionately underrepresented in engineering professions and programs. Both the proportion of women enrolled in post-secondary engineering programs and the number of women working as engineers has increased during the past few decades. In engineering, men still outweigh women by a wide margin
There have been efforts to recruit more female engineers in the past years, but it seems there is still a long way before we are able to successfully attract more brilliant minds into this field. Companies and organizations have done research and asked women engineers about the quality of their workplace and what improvements can be brought on in order to make a positive impact on their workplace. To comprehend and eradicate this heritage of gender inequality, numerous organizations and programs have been established. Some have criticized this gender discrepancy, claiming it shows a lack of talent and that we are missing out on potential minds that could help out the industry.
An increasing disparity exists between minority women and their white counterparts, despite the claim that the gender gap as a whole is closing. The current scenario, where men predominate in fields related to engineering sciences, is influenced by gender stereotypes, low numbers of female engineering students, and engineering culture. Because it is still widely believed that men are numerically more capable and better suited for engineering occupations, there is a lot of evidence to support the continued existence of unconscious prejudice against female engineers. Unconsciously, people still associate men with science and women with the arts.
By enrolling more women in their programs, a number of schools and institutions around the country are working to close the gender gap that exists in the engineering profession. Their tactics include exposing more women to STEM subjects in high school, fostering a positive view of female participation in the engineering community, and creating a more welcoming environment for women both inside and outside of the classroom. These tactics have aided organizations in promoting more female enrollment in engineering programs as well as other STEM-related fields. Universities need to emphasize the value of recruiting women, the value of STEM education at the undergraduate level, provide financial aid, and create more effective strategies for recruiting women to their graduate programs in order to persuade women to enroll in these programs.
Being an Ally
In the workplace, men are more frequently seen in leadership positions. They might make life uncomfortable for women by being in a position of power over them. Women may, for instance, earn less money than males, have more obligations, or experience lower levels of appreciation. Another aspect of the gap between men and women in the workplace is communication. Male-to-male communication is supposedly more direct, however, when explaining a task to a woman, men frequently use condescending or “dumb down” language. Men may treat women less favorably than they should because of the perception that men are more qualified than women.
Changing inequality means that one must become an agent of change. The active participation of men and boys is necessary to achieve gender equity in engineering. Men still have a disproportionate impact on how decisions are made, how labor is done, and how far women can develop in their fields. To ensure that women are given equal opportunity to succeed in engineering, males need to take an active role in promoting women’s empowerment by mobilizing resources, institutional influence, and cultural clout. An excellent example of young boys and how they define the qualities of manhood and view workplace culture is the leadership of men in engineering for gender justice. Indeed, they could be an excellent role model for the future generation if they bring on change. Men challenging their own attitudes and behaviors, as well as those of others, and speaking out for women’s rights can have a significant impact.
Parents, teachers, and other figures of authority can also contribute to encouraging women to pursue engineering by not reinforcing gender bias. Indeed, these figures all have an early influence on children. Encouraging young girls into pursuing and developing their abilities around mathematics and science, it will incite women to go into engineering and increase their number in that field.