WOMEN IN ENGINEERING: PAST, PRESENT, & FUTURE

Abstract

Historically, engineering has been thought of asa field of study predominantly best-suited for men. In fact,the masculine face that engineering often assumes hasovershadowed, and in some respects, continues toovershadow the concept of the engineer in many people’sminds. While this conception has prevailed historically, inrecent decades, the feminine face of the engineer has slowlyemerged. This paper will explore the historicalunderpinnings of engineering as a career choice, with afocus on the emerging contributions of women to theprofession. This exploration will include an examination ofsome of the barriers common to women considering a careerin engineering along with a discussion of how these barriershave been, and continue to be surpassed. The role thatprofessional societies have played in terms of recruitment ofwomen to the profession will be presented.Index Terms ⎯ Engineering as a career choice, professionalengineering societies, women in engineering, women’sleadership in engineering.