Encouraging the Exploration of Engineering

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Women In Engineering

According to a 1996 report published by the National Science Foundation, a significant disparity exists between the percentage of women in non-technical fields in both education and industry. Women comprise 51% of the U.S. population and 45% of the U.S. labor force, but account for only 22% of employed scientists and engineers. At the undergraduate college level, women still tend to choose non-technical majors. Women earn more than half of the bachelor's degrees awarded in social sciences, but less than one-third of the bachelor's degrees in engineering.

An even smaller percentage of women exists in the engineering workplace. This reality has been attributed to two main factors. First, women often cite family oriented rasons for taking time off from work, and say that the engineering industry is not conducive to such leaves of absense due high-stress, fast-paced work atmosphere of current engineering occupations. Second, women often choose to enter other fields such as law, medicine, and education after obtaining bachelor's degrees in engineering.

Studies have attempted to trace this disparity back to high school influences. Although male and female high school students do not differ significantly in the science courses they take, male students are much more likely than their female peers to take physics classes.

Women In Electrical Engineering & Computer Science

The difference between male and female enrollment is even greater in the Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (EECS) field. In EECS, females comprise only 19% of college students and 9% of industry workers. At MIT, females comprise over 40% of the undergraduate population, but only 20% of students in the EECS Department.

In 1995, the MIT EECS Ad Hoc Committee on Women Undergraduate Enrollment in Course IV (EECS Dept) studied this discrepancy and published a report and recommendations. The findings show that female undergraduate students feel much less prepared to major in EECS than their male couterparts. Women may also be discouraged from studying EECS because of the social stigma surrounding these tradionally male dominated fields.

Inception & Purpose of the MIT Women's Initiative

In the spring of 1998, Microsoft Corporation challenged the MIT Chapter of Eta Kappa NU (HKN) to propose methods of addressing the lack of women enrollment in EECS studies and industry. A committee of four HKN students investigated the issues and proposed two programs, one which called for presentations at high schools across the country. Thus, the Women's Initiative program was created to address the problem of low enrollment in EECS by women early in their career decision making process.

The rationale behind the Women's Initiative underscores the importance of creating personalized interaction between high school women and college women. By meeting female role models in EECS, high school women will be more likely to seriously consider these fields as coareer options. High school women identify more closely with college students than with college recruiters and industry professionals. Having enthusiastic MIT women demonstrate their work and share their experiences will help to combat the notion that EECS are boring, uninteresting fields.

The Presentors & The Presentations

In January, women selected from the MIT EECS Department make presentations nationwide with the goal of encouraging women to consider studies and careers in engineering. The presentations include activities to engage students in thinking about engineering concepts, project demonstrations, and shared experiences in the EECS field. The Women's Initiative is not intended to recruit for MIT, but to provide information and encourage high school women to consider the fields of EECS.

The Effects of the Program

Students were asked provide feedback by completing surveys after the presentations (a comprehensive analysis of the surveys is compiled in a separate report). Surveys collected from the January, 1999 presentation showed that most students, especially female students, felt that their knowledge of and interest in EECS increased. Many girls also commented that it was empowering to meet knowledgeable, psersonable, and confident women who are successful in technical fields. Many students who had not previously considered EECS as potential careers said that they would now explore the possibility.

An informative article about the EEE Women in Engineering program was recently published in The Sun.