Undergraduate Voices
 

About the author

Julia Weber is an undergraduate student studying engineering at the University of Dayton.

Document Type

Literature Review

Instructor's Name

Amir Kalan

Semester in which course was taken

Fall

Year in which course was taken

2017

Publication Date

6-11-2018

Publication Source

Undergraduate Voices

Volume

1

Publisher

University of Dayton

Inclusive pages

14-22

Abstract

This article focuses on the position of women in the field of engineering, specifically why the field is male-dominated and why this condition should change. When I state the field is male-dominated, I am addressing both the proportion of men in the field in comparison to women and discrimination towards women in the workplace.

Throughout this article, I will be focusing on women in the field of engineering. I will look into why the field is so male-dominated (Chu, 2005; Hunt, 2016; Ramirez & Wotipka, 2001) and how this has begun to change over time (Hill, Corbett, & St Rose, 2010; Morgan, 1992; Ramirez & Wotipka, 2001; Scandura & Ragins, 1993; Torre, 2014). Additionally, I will look into whether or not women within the field ever feel as though they are discriminated against for their gender, or if they feel they are treated equitably in comparison with their male counterparts. I will be looking at this topic through a feminist framework. Relevant themes of feminism in the underrepresentation of women in engineering include “who benefits and who is harmed, critically examining assumptions and presumptions that create injustice, and creatively and energetically working for our dreams of what could be” (p. 34) in the field of engineering (Riley, Pawley, Tucker, & Catalano, 2009). Research in feminism, as far as sex discrimination in the workplace, indicates that sex discrimination is immune to challenge (Thornton, 2006). Looking at this topic through a feminist lens will highlight the gender inequality in the workplace of engineers.

Keywords

engineering, women, discrimination, sex discrimination, gender, workplace, male-dominated

Disciplines

Arts and Humanities | Other Engineering | Rhetoric and Composition


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