Looking at the example of women engineers in Turkey demonstrates a paradox of modern success for women and also the typical struggles women face in the sciences. In large part, Turkey's historical process of modernization, has made it stand out as an ideal model for women in engineering. Zengin-Arslan, says in her article on women in engineering in Turkey, that "relatively high representations of women in the fields of science and technology in Turkey is not a result of feminist policies that have been deliberately carried out. There are other social, political and institutional factors…" This brings up an interesting point claiming that the policies developed to encourage women in the sciences in Turkey and other nations around the world were different. In Turkey, women in the higher classes were encouraged by their families and also state policies when the Republic of Turkey was being established to gain a higher education. As women became more highly educated they came to hold roles in the political realms. While in the U.S. the first instances of women in the sciences was during World War 2 with the absence of the male workforce. Perhaps the difference between the surge of women engineers in Turkey and the women engineers in the United States was that Turkey consciously facilitated the presence of women in the scientific workforce and in the United States it occurred in response to the war effort. Therefore when the war was over, "Although many women are continuing on their wartime mathematical jobs, it is difficult to say how much of the gain will be in terms of permanent opportunities for women" (Light, 1998). Therefore a much different sentiment was established of women in the scientific workforce in Turkey than in the U.S.
I am still searching for more information regarding comparisons of salaries made by Turkish women vs. men engineers. However there are many statistics regarding the higher percentage of women in "feminine" sciences, including: food engineering (52%), environmental (48%) and a lower percentage of Turkish women in mechanical (10%) and electrical (11%). This reflects a similar distribution in the U.S. of more women in the biological fields of engineering. Although, 40% of engineers are women in Turkey compared to the 13.5% of women in the (Davidson and Burke, 2004) engineering workforce in the United States (DPE Research Department, 2008). Similarly to the U.S. women in Turkey experience discrimination in education, since there is more pressure for boys to attend school than girls, and being treated as inferiors in a field dominated by men. In Turkey, "it is argued that they define discrimination in terms of legal regulations and conceive it in more overt forms" (Zengin-Arslan, 2002). Yet women in both countries are still experiencing similar forms of discrimination.
Therefore it appears that within Turkey, women still face similar institutionalized sexism and lack of equality with men in regards to their presence in the engineering workforce. However due to the historical progress of Turkey and its political modernization, it has higher percentages of female engineers than does the United States.
Davidson, Marilyn J. and Burke, Ronald J. Women in Management Worldwide: Facts,
Figures and Analysis. Ashgate Publishing Company: 2004 Burlington, VT.
Zengin-Arslan, Berna. Women in Engineering Education in Turkey: Understanding
the Gendered Distribution. 2002 Int. J. Ed. Vol. 18 No. 4 pp. 400-408
Light, Jennifer S. When Computers Were Women. Technology and Culture,
1999 Vol. 40 No. 3 pp.455-483
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