Why Aren't There More Women Engineers?
Abstract
Women have made substantial employment gains in business, law, medicine, and behavioral sciences during the past generation, but there has not been a corresponding increase in the number of women engineers. Explanations for the slow progress of women in engineering fields often assume that women do not have the same level of mathematical or visual-spatial skills as men, yet decades of research have not produced solid support for this assumption. This study presents results of a campus survey indicating that many men engineering students have negative attitudes toward women, are generally more confident about their success in engineering, and may receive more support from peers or mentors than do women students. Focusing efforts on improving the engineering climate may be necessary to increase the numbers of women in engineering careers.
Recommended Citation
C. Meinholdt and S. L. Murray, "Why Aren't There More Women Engineers?," Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, Begell House, Jan 1999.
Department(s)
Engineering Management and Systems Engineering
Second Department
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Keywords and Phrases
Negative Attitude; Engineers; Women
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
1072-8325
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 1999 Begell House, All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Jan 1999
