Document Type
Literature Review
Instructor's Name
Amir Kalan
Semester in which course was taken
Fall
Year in which course was taken
2017
Copyright
Copyright © 2018, by the Author
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
eCommons Citation
Weber, Julia, "Discrimination against Women in the Field of Engineering" (2018). Undergraduate Voices. 3.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/undergradvoices/3
