The topic of women in engineering is one that has been growing in importance to me lately because although I am not a woman in engineering, I do have a 10-year old sister who is getting closer and closer to having to decide her major for college every year. She's a very smart kid, having read and understood books like the Harry Potter series at the age of 9 and testing in at an 8th grade reading level in 3rd grade (I believe she's up to 9th or 10th now). She is also great in math and has an interest in science. I have, of course, been trying to subtly influence her towards engineering by showing her the cool projects I have worked on, or by explaining what I know of how things work. My dad, who used to tease her by jokingly telling her she would become a doctor to support him financially, has now focused his attentions on encouraging her to follow in my footsteps after I told him the average starting salary of computer science and software engineering. I was excited when I heard her steadfast and resounding “no”s turn into “maybe”s. I would love to see her become an engineer, even if it's not exactly in the same field as me. That is, if that's what she wants.
This brings up the issue of what men in engineering can do to help. I know that as a role-model to younger students and children I interact with as an engineer I can say a lot more about how male engineers should act around and treat female engineers with my actions than with my words. My male engineering friends and I often forget what a “boys club” mentality we've developed from not being around many women, and act accordingly. As Bix states, “Evidence confirms suspicions that while equal opportunity sentiment and federal legislation might have helped open some doors for some women in the 1970s, the changing language and imagery of employment ads to denote hiring diversity did not solve more fundamental problem,” so while there has been progress in trying to change these attitudes, they still persist. I do know very intelligent female engineering students for whom I have a lot of respect. But as much as I try to adjust and monitor my own attitude, I have to influence the attitudes of those around me as well.
I am also slightly concerned about over-encouragement. How do I challenge my sister but make sure I don't push too hard? How will I know if it's something she really wants to do and isn't just doing it because her family wants her to? As a current engineering student and one who's known others that don't like it, I know that if it's not something she really wants to do and does not enjoy it she will fail, and that's the last thing I want to happen.
Bix (2004), “From “Engineeresses” to “Girl Engineers” to “Good Engineers”: A History of Women’s U.S. Engineering Education”
It makes me really happy to hear that your sister may be interested in engineering too. Both my parents are mechanical engineers by degree, and when I went into engineering, they had your same worry of whether I was doing it because I wanted to, or because that’s what our family tended toward. I think that if you encourage your sister, (or if someone else is reading this, sibling), to do what she likes, that is the best possible outcome. I think the most common misconception about engineering is the “math and science wiz” idea—the assumption that you have to be outstanding in math and science to even have a shot at being good engineer. I think that’s the biggest hurtle. The piece of advice I can give you for your sister is to let her know, you don’t have to be a wiz- you have to be able to do math/science and understand it, but the biggest part is being able to apply it to find solutions to abstract problems. The ultimate goal of helping people is the mindset to keep in mind when looking at engineering. Being able to apply the science and math in a way that can solve a social or industry problem is what makes engineering an awesome profession. (Also, if you do want to pass it on, for that age, I would highly recommend EngineerYourLife.com as a way to encourage engineering to younger students—it’s a pretty cool site if she’s interested!).
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