Engineering: More women take on the challenge to enter the exciting, complex world of engineering

Women have traditionally been underrepresented in the field of engineering; however, the statistics are beginning to change. The percentage of women receiving engineering degrees has steadily increased over the past few years. According to a study, "Engineering by the Numbers" by Brian Yoder, PH.D., women represent 18.4% of all bachelor enrollees, 22.7% of master's enrollees, and 21.6% of doctoral enrollees. In terms of faculty, since the fall of 2011, women comprise 13.8% of resident faculty at high schools and universities which is an increase from the 9.2% compared to 2002. Several studies examined the reasons as to why the number of women working in the profession remains low. According to a study, "Gender Inclusive Engineering Education," the authors note that in particularly English-speaking countries, the number of women in the engineering workforce remains low and that young women tend to regard engineering as stereotypically masculine. A survey conducted with 5,500 women with engineering degrees determined that those who chose not to pursue an engineering degree or those who left the profession did so primarily because of their perception of the work atmosphere. For instance, "the lack of flexibility, respect, and support were more important than family reasons for leaving engineering employment."1 There are a variety of organizations that encourage and engage women who want to pursue a career in engineering. A notable organization is the Women in Engineering Proactive Network (WEPAN) which is a national, non-for-profit organization with over 700 members. Members involved in the organization come from an array of backgrounds involving engineering schools, small businesses, Fortune 500 corporations, and non-profit organizations. The major focus of WEPAN is to promote the use of research-based strategies in an effort to advance women in the field of engineering and does so by demonstrating its efforts at their national conference, the knowledge center, and in its professional development webinars. The overarching goal of the organization by 2050 is to engage as many women as possible in ongoing programs, funded projects, partnerships and relationships. Another prominent organization that promotes women in engineering to advance, aspire, and achieve recognition in the industry is the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). For over six decades, SWE centered on achieving success for their members and enabling them to overcome the challenges and opportunities brought about by the field of engineering and technology specialties. Members of SWE gain the opportunity to connect with a professional network of over 25,000 enthusiastic, like-minded women engineers. The goal of the organization is to provide members with useful information and tools to enhance their understanding of the challenges they will face as an engineer and how they will overcome these particular challenges. Through encouraging members to volunteer and participate at the federal level, the aim is to educate them on all the ins and outs of engineering. An additional major organization which aims to promote women in engineering is the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for Women in Engineering (WIE), the largest international professional organization dedicated to promoting women engineers and scientists along with aspiring young women around the globe to follow their academic interests in pursuing a career in engineering. The association is dedicated to advancing innovation and technological excellence as a professional society of solely females. IEEE is designed to service professionals involved in all aspects of the electrical, electronic, and computing fields which relate to areas under science and technology. The membership is composed of dedicated engineers, scientists, and allied professionals who include computer scientists, software developers, information technology professionals, physicists, medical doctors, and several others. The proportion of women earning science and engineering bachelor's degrees has risen slowly but steadily over the past 15 years, reaching a new peak of half a million in 2009. Women have earned about 57% of all bachelor's degrees and half of all science and engineering bachelor's degrees since the late 1990s.2 Generally, men earn a majority of bachelor's degrees in engineering, computer sciences, and physics. However, more women than men earn degrees in chemistry; biological, agricultural, and social sciences; and psychology. With the efforts of various organizations, curriculums, and clubs, the gap between men and women in engineering will continue to decrease as more and more women take on the challenge to enter the exciting, complex world of engineering. 1Froud, N.A., R. Singh, M.E. Fitzpatrick, and J.P. Liu (2012). Stemming the Tide: Why Women Leave Engineering. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. N 2http://www.engineergirl.org/what_engineers_do/WhyBeAnEngineer.aspx Pat Hildebrandt is a director at JFK&M Consulting Group, LLC, New York, N.Y.