Women in Engineering & Science Disciplines - Term Paper Example

Women in Engineering & Science Disciplines Women Engineers are generally fewer than their male counterparts around the world. In America, this is no exception. In most countries, the statistics of women studying in science courses is low. Also, employment opportunities tend to be based on merit. Due to this, the few female engineers in the system are at a disadvantaged position in employment selection interviews. In the workplace, female engineers might not get the opportunities to rise as fast and as quickly as might be expected. The implication is that, men dominate the field of engineering. Men typically become engineers and due to the fact that they have dominated the field for years, they often get an advantage of their female counterparts who might not get a fluid career progression. Thus, in practice, few women ever get top leadership positions in engineering entities anywhere around the world. There might be some practical solutions. However, few of them are implemented successfully and in this quest, it must be emphasized that there is the need for changes at the college level through to a conscious effort to change in order to accommodate and nurture female engineers in the corporate environment. This paper undertakes critical analysis of the situation of female engineers and how they are affected in the workplace and beyond. The paper will examine the root cause and challenges of women engineering in the workplace. This will assess the reasons why women do not seem to be well represented in engineering companies. The paper will go on to assess the implication of this challenge and how it affects the American society. This will then build up into the identification of solutions to the challenge and the identification of the roles of stakeholders in dealing with these challenges. This paper is based on secondary data and information. The data for this study is mainly taken from journals and other major publications on the subject. Authoritative figures in academia and the corporate world's views are compiled and critiqued in the paper. Causes of Challenges of Women in Engineering Women engineers are generally very few in the workplace. In the case of the United States, 53% of the people in all entry level jobs are women (Shellenbarger 3). However, at the director level, only 35% of people are women. Also, 24% of the people in senior vice president positions are women. This indicates that there is a general issue with the rise of women in the corporate world. This implies that the general trend has some impact on engineering, which is seen to be traditionally a male dominated field. One of the reasons identified by Shellenbarger (3) is that women lack sponsors who would nominate them into top positions in engineering and scientific organization. This is because they often do not put themselves up for these top jobs when compared to their male counterparts. Women prefer to stay away from stressful problems and jobs. Thus, they end up becoming content with these lower level jobs. Secondly, females are not found in the engineering field because most training that would get them to become engineers are designed for only males or males only find themselves in those fields (Ovide 1). This is because there are some tough training and recruitment programs that are not often disposed favorably towards women. Due to this, women find themselves in the back role of these engineering entities and they end up becoming more or less the less dominant voice in the industry. The GM boss, Dan Akerson stated that women are not often put into engineering positions because most managers do not use plans and systems that are robust enough to get the best pool of talents. In other words, recruitment systems are not thorough enough to give women the chance. She stated that if directors and managers were to widen their HR net, they would be able to locate and find hard working women through a conscious and concerted effort to go out and look for such persons to fill up important vacancies. Also, Rudnay identifies that women are often turned off by the work environment and systems of engineering companies (4). This is because these companies have too rigid systems and structures that promote male-dominated systems and structures for companies. Due to this, women end up becoming left out and they look for other career progression. She cited that if female friendly roles were created in engineering firms, more women could become interested in engineering and they would want to stay in the profession. Some of the areas that are female friendly are research, innovation and branding units of engineering companies (Rudnay 4). One important factor that is identified for the exclusion of women in the engineering industry is the issue of stereotyping in the hiring of female employees. Most people charged with employing people into engineering firms often want to work with men. This is because they have a negative and a prejudiced view of women and it stands in the way of their inclusion in the workplace (Grewal 5). This is because most employers think that women are weak and this is a stereotype. Others think that women are concerned with other things that might stand in the way of their concentration and effort to attain the best results for the company. These stereotyping is mainly unconscious and most people do not even realize it when they are taking negative hiring decisions (Parkin 3). Also, Green identifies that the promotion systems in engineering companies are often biased (1). This is because such systems are designed to keep men in operational and sensitive positions whilst women are sent to play other roles that are not in the mainstream section. This could include research, human resource management and other things. Again, this can be attributed to stereotyping and the erroneous choice to keep women out of the engineering work environment. In other cases, people involved in stereotype do not realize that their actions are prejudiced and probably illegal (Tenenbaum 81). This means that the prejudice and effort to stop women from achieving in engineering is so much rooted in the thinking of some people in the engineering firm that they do not realize it when they are making that mistake. And this goes on to make it difficult for women to progress and attain high results. Another important argument that Laster presents is that female engineers spend much more time doing domestic and household chores than their male counterparts (2). This is because by the nature and make-up of women, they are generally more sensitive to the home and are connected more to children than men. Due to this, women engineers have to spend more time at home, helping to get things happen. In providing a practical example of this situation, she identifies that a female professor in Johns Hopkins University got a phone call about her nomination and winning of the Nobel Peace Prize whilst she was folding her laundry. This provides a textbook example of situations where women are kept out of the system because of who they are. Such a person spends more time doing household chores than her male colleagues who might have other people doing these things for them. Due to this, women in fields like engineering are likely to become less effective in plying their trade. In very specialized engineering fields, women face twice the level of discrimination and challenges and due to this, their presence is extremely limited in these fields. One of such areas is the US Airforce where female 'airmen' are fewer. Due to this, the engineering sections of the Airforce lacks women. As of 200, there were just 8% women in the US Airforce's engineering unit (Holmes 41). Clearly, women are faced by restrictions in entering the military and secondly, they are restricted further in entering a male dominated area or field in a male dominated industry or sector. Such a situation calls for extraordinary measures to encourage women to take up significant roles in order to promote gender balance. In summary, there is a general lack of sponsors who are willing to encourage or nominate women for top positions in engineering oriented companies around America. Secondly, there is the absence of preparatory causes and programs for women to equip them to become engineers in the future. Due to this, few female engineers are available for selection into firms and organizations around the world and in America. Also, the recruitment systems used by engineering companies are not robust enough to absorb women. They do not search for talents in most cases. Rather, they focus on results. In other setting women face discrimination from employers who are prejudiced and practice a high degree of stereotyping. The nature of women make it more likely for them to be involved in household activities than men. Due to this, men are more likely to proceed through the ranks of engineering positions than men. Also, some areas are just to specialized and would demand extraordinary and conscious effort in order to be changed and modified to accept women. Implication of Challenges of Women in Engineering All these actions and activities have immediate, short term and long term consequences on the recruitment, employment and retention of female engineers. This is because the current situation has an impact on future events and activities that would determine the scope and actions of female engineering into the future. First of all, the problem of having fewer female engineering students makes it difficult to increase their numbers in the future because there will be fewer women to choose from after graduation. This therefore means that the percentages of males would dominate the engineering sector. The presence of fewer engineers who are women in the workplace implies that there will be fewer female role models for younger ladies and girls to look up to. This means that the number of women in the industry is bound to be low into the longer term. The absence of more thorough and more robust employment systems and structures that detect talent and special capabilities in women means that women are less likely to be employed and until something is done about this, fewer women engineers would exist in the future. Due to this, there is the risk that the system will male-dominated until something is done about it. If the work environment remains as it is, most women will continue to be turned off by the environment and they would look at other avenues and means of earning a living. With fewer work slots for women or attractive to women, it means that fewer women would be encouraged to work in engineering fields and there will be a focus on male oriented actions and activities. Also, with all the stereotyping and the preference for males ahead of females, women are in danger of being kept out of the engineering industry. This is because if things continue this way, most hiring boards are likely to be made up of men rather than women in the future. This will mean that men, rather than women will continue to be biased against women entering the field. Also, without tools and other self assessment systems and methods, women are likely to be discriminated against and most of the people who do this might not even realize it when they are discriminating against women. Due to this, there is the need for some proactive effort to deal with these prejudiced systems and settings. Until the work structures are reformed and women get an equal chance of being promoted in the male-dominated field of female engineering, there is likely to be a situation where more men will progress in the field and women would be kept in low and less competitive positions in engineering companies. In the case of women spending more time, there seem to be an inherent tendency for women to do this. There is very little that women in general, can do to change this. Due to this, it is important for the system to be adjusted to accommodate them rather than force them to do so. This is because there is no practical solution that can be used to prevent women from having babies, spending more time with the children than men and also doing more household chores. So if the current equal opportunities system is applied to women, it would be unfair to them and they would have to spend their lives trying to adjust to be like their male counterparts. This will demand a lot of considerable effort which they would have to make to take up an identity that is inherently different from their natural tendency and preferences. Also, specialized engineering units and sectors like the airforce and other areas are generally tough areas for women to gain entry. It also seems that this is going to be the case in the longer term. Due to this, there is a strong need for something to be done to break the cycle otherwise these ladies would be locked out of these sensitive aspects and sectors of the engineering field. In terms of economics, the absence of women in engineering has some impacts. First of all, employing women as engineers provide income to these women and this can help to redistribute money in the American society and in other parts of the world where this is replicated. Secondly, haunting for female employees involve a distinct talent hunt. This can always unravel unique talents that would not normally be identified. And due to this, female engineers need to be encouraged so that they bring to bear what was hidden from most people. Thirdly, engineering companies that employ female employees gain a direct benefit because women inject an increment in the quality processes of the company. In other words, women come up with a tendency towards the improvement of the quality of life of their engineering processes and their colleagues. Due to this, there is an improved customer relation since more and more women are now taking part in purchasing decision. Hence, an engineering company that has more women is likely to promote a system whereby innovation and improvements are made in order to satisfy more people in the society in terms of quality of life. Solutions to the Challenges of Women in Engineering Companies have to ensure that their work environment is restructured and re-examined in order to accommodate more women in the engineering industry (Shellenbarger 3). In doing this, there are four main strategies that Shellenbarger (3) proposes and puts forward as a solution and correction of the system. First of all, there should be the enlargement of strategic meetings in order to ensure that female engineers in firms can be accommodated and promoted to take part in leadership and gain promotion in order to rise in the company. Secondly, there is the need to set goals and measures that will ensure that more women would be promoted. Schellenbarger (3) identifies that one of the ways of doing this is to tie remuneration increment of those in charge of promotions with how well they promote women and minorities. Through this, more women can get the chance to take up sensitive positions and become more productive and supportive for the various engineering firms. Thirdly, a company that seeks to promote female employment amongst engineers needs to audit the culture in the company. This will ensure that they examine the system and point out the elements of chauvinism and other things which stand in the way of encouraging female engineers. This will create a more appropriate environment that would enhance the inclusion of women. Finally, a company must ensure that the sponsorship of female employees comes from the top rather than the bottom. This way, women would be excluded from politics and other challenges and frictions that affect them if the sponsorship is from the bottom. This way, more women can become 'peers' and there will be no room for competition and sabotage which could be detrimental in sex-oriented relations in the workplace. On the other hand there should be more training programs for women so that they gain access to more engineering programs (Ovide 1). Some of these programs can be sponsored by philanthropists and other entities who can help provide some basic actions and activities. Also, more universities will need to come up with positive discrimination drives that would ensure that more women get admissions into engineering and other science based programs that are traditionally the preserve of male students. Female students will be nurtured through these systems and they can become more likely to seek engineering jobs that can enable them to become leaders in these companies. Additionally, basic education must be much more friendly and it should thoroughly introduce more women into the study of sciences and mathematics based courses that would prepare them for careers in engineering (Rudnay 4). Grewel identifies that in order to include more female engineers, organizations will have to make an institutional commitment through the company's strategic plans and missions. Also, leaders need to leaders of stereotyping and how it can stand in the way of including female engineers into their businesses. Grewel's recommendations also state that the if it is possible, organizations must educate all other employees. This will help to maintain a conducive work environment and also allow employees to build a culture that accommodates and respects women in their activities and operations in the organization. Also, there is the need to diversify the hiring committees so that a sufficient number of the members would be women who can argue for the needs of women. Due to this, there is the chance that more women can be brought in. In other cases, there might be the need to create positive discrimination rules that will ensure that female engineers can be protected and prevented from being abused or treated negatively in the work place. Parkin on the other hand argues that the public sector can consider creating important activities and sponsor projects that would be aimed at encouraging female engineers to undertake research and deep examinations into topics in engineering. This will help them to become more excited and do more to promote their interest in the field of engineering. Also, Tenenbaum (3) states that an electronic tools and a software have been designed to help people hiring employees that include minorities and women. This system can be applied to the hiring of female engineers. Through this, management can always assess their decisions to find out whether their decisions are biased against women or not. Laster on the other hand argues that there is the need for some policy by the Federal and State governments to recognize women's connection to household activities. This way, positive discrimination actions can be recognized in most work places and educational institution in order to compensate for the contribution women are already making to the society. Conclusion Women in the engineering sector are woefully underrepresented. This is because there is a general lack of sponsors. This means that the promotion and rise of women engineers in firms suffer a significant setback because of the lack of positive actions to promote and improve them in the sector. The absence of preparatory causes and programs that encourages women to do more in order to enter the engineering sector stands as a barrier to the increment in the number of female engineers. Also, the recruitment systems is not robust enough to encourage the recruitment of female employees. This is because there is the presence of stereotyping in the different areas and units of the engineering sector makes it difficult for women to gain acceptance. On the other hand, women are involved in house work and other domestic chores. This stands in the way of their progression in engineering and other jobs that are in that category. In order to improve female employee participation, businesses will need to audit and critique their existing culture. Sponsorship of female employees must come from the top in order to prevent competition and politics. Employers need to set goals that would promote female engineers. Also, there is the need for top managers in organizations and whole organizations to be educated on the problems and issues with stereotyping. Works Cited Green, Sharon. “Barriers to Women's Advancement in Science” Women's Health Research Institute. Nort Western University. July 19, 2012. p1 – 4 Grewal, Daisy. “Reducing the Impact of Negative Stereotypes in the Cases of Minority and Women Scientists” Science Careers Journal 14(26) 2010. Journal.p1- 3 Holmes, Erik. “Female Airmen underrepresented in Tech -field” Airforce Times. March 7, 2009. Lester, Jill. “Time Crunch for Female Scientists: They Do More Housework than Men” Labor and Work -Life Issues Monday January 19, 2010. Ovide Shira. “Girls Who Code” Seeks to Train Women for Technological Fields. Wall Street Journal. June 20, 2012. Parkin Simon. “$2 Million Grant to Develop Game that Breaks Bias Against Women in Sciences” Gamasutral Journal October 13, 2010. Rudnay, D'Arcy. “Industry by Industry: How to Move Forward” The Wall Street Journal. April 10, 2012. Shellenbarger, Sue. “The XX Factor – What is Holding Women Back?” Wall Street Journal. May 7, 2012. Tenenbaum, David. “Major Grant Aims at Breaking the Habit of Employment Bias” University of Wisconsin- Madison News. October 11, 2010. Read More