Women in engineering in the United States facts for kids

For a long time in the United States, fewer women than men have studied and worked in science and engineering. This means there are many more male engineers than female engineers. Because of this, jobs in areas like Education, History, English, and Humanities were sometimes seen as "women's jobs." Some experts believe that these old ideas and ways of thinking have made it harder for women to join engineering.

People have tried to explain why fewer women become engineers. Some thought women weren't interested in science or engineering. Others believed women couldn't do the work. And some felt that things in a girl's childhood might stop them from choosing these fields.

Sometimes, negative ideas about female engineers also play a part. Recent numbers show that college-educated women are much less likely than men to work in science and engineering jobs.

Groups on college campuses and in society are working to make more people aware of this issue.

A Look Back: Women in Engineering History

In the early 1960s, a special group formed by the President said that women were needed to fill jobs in teaching, science, and engineering. But in 1960, less than 1% of engineers were women. Also, the women who were engineers often didn't have as many advanced degrees as the men.

Research shows that most people back then, both men and women, thought women should mainly be homemakers and mothers. They didn't see women as serious scientists or engineers.

Even with changes during the civil rights movement, not many college women chose engineering. For example, in 1971–72, only about 17% of students studying Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) were women. This was true even though there wasn't much official unfair treatment in schools. Women who applied to engineering programs were accepted at similar rates to men.

Things started to change between 1968 and 1978. During this time, the number of women studying science and engineering in the United States doubled! However, they still made up less than 4.9% of all students in these fields.

To help more women join science and engineering, programs like affirmative action were started. People thought that early teaching in elementary schools and social stereotypes were part of the problem. In the mid-1980s, experts predicted a shortage of engineers by the year 2000. This made efforts to get and keep women in these fields even more important. Groups like the ASCE Task Force Committee on Women in Civil Engineering were formed.

Numbers and Facts About Women in Engineering

Percentage of Engineering Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded to Women by School

The National Science Foundation says that more women finish college than men overall. But men still get many more Science and Engineering (STEM) degrees. Between 1989 and 2008, about 17% to 19.6% of people getting a Bachelor’s degree in engineering were women. In computer science, the number of women grew more, from about 10% in 1989 to 21% in 2008.

For minority women (like African American, Hispanic, and Native American women), the percentage of engineering bachelor’s degrees went up from about 7% in 1989 to 12% in 2008. But very few minority women earned doctoral degrees in engineering, only increasing slightly from 1%. Asian women actually saw a smaller percentage of engineering bachelor's degrees during this time, from about 2.5% to 5%.

In 2004, the National Society of Professional Engineers reported about 192,900 female engineers in the country. This was much less than the over 1,515,000 male engineers. About one-third of these women (62,900) were software engineers. Women were also more likely to work in environmental engineering (9% women vs. 4% men) and chemical engineering (7% women vs. 4% men). However, fewer women worked in mechanical engineering (8% women vs. 17% men) and electrical engineering (12% women vs. 18% men).

In 1999, women made up about a quarter of all engineers under 25. But they were only one-twentieth of engineers over 49. This shows that more women have started engineering careers recently. The Society of Women Engineers found that women and other minority groups made up about 16%-17% of engineering graduate students from 1990 to 2003. In 2003, about 20% (12,000) of new engineers were women, compared to 80% (49,000) men.

Here are the top 10 colleges that produce the most women engineers, according to the ASEE:

• Georgia Institute of Technology
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• University of Michigan
• Purdue University
• Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
• Ohio State University
• Pennsylvania State University
• University of Florida
• Texas A&M University
• Cornell University

Why Fewer Women Choose Engineering

Many reasons have been suggested for why fewer women major in engineering in college. Historically, women have joined and stayed in engineering programs less often than men. One idea is that people used to focus a lot on the "male breadwinner" family model, where men were seen as the main earners. Even though this idea has changed, some people still think of men as the primary earners.

More recently, people have looked at how girls are raised from childhood through adolescence. Girls are often raised in societies where science, engineering, and math are seen as "male professions." The media has also been criticized for not showing many female engineers. Instead, some experts feel the media shows women in traditional "female occupations" like nurses, teachers, and housewives.

Some men also believe women aren't suited for traditional engineering jobs. A study found that women were more likely to pick male-dominated fields as their second choice for a major, not their first. This suggests that what society expects can stop talented women from pursuing their dreams. Women have also reported that in group projects, male peers often give them routine tasks like managing or secretarial work, keeping them from hands-on engineering. These ideas create barriers for women in the field.

Some people, like Christina Hoff Sommers, suggest that engineering might be less popular with women because it doesn't always fit their interests, such as interacting with living things. This doesn't mean women are less capable, but that they might be less interested in the subject generally. Many experts agree that different interests between men and women, rather than unfair treatment, cause some of this difference.

Having role models, especially female role models, is also important for encouraging women in engineering. Women whose parents are engineers are more likely to study engineering themselves. Women also look up to other women already in the field as mentors. Encouragement from teachers, counselors, and school leaders can also help. Good high school preparation in math, biology, and chemistry also improves a woman's chances in engineering. However, some experts say these factors aren't enough to overcome the challenges women face. So, big social changes are needed to truly improve things for women engineers.

How Society and Education Affect Women

School Experiences

Because of social and environmental factors, high school and college women sometimes feel less confidence in their math skills than men. Research by Shelley Correll showed that women who felt good about their math ability before a test scored higher. These women were also more likely to take college-level calculus.

Later, Goldman found that feeling positive about math was important for women choosing engineering. Other studies also show that early life experiences shape a woman's career goals. If women feel they aren't skilled enough for engineering, they might do poorly, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. In the U.S. labor force, there is less than 1 female engineer for every 10 males. In 2011, only 13.6% of people in architecture and engineering jobs were women.

Studies also found that not enough high school training didn't fully explain why women dropped out of engineering in college. Women who dropped out often had grades as good as, or even better than, the men who stayed. When asked, very few women (about 9.8% to 11.5%) said they dropped out because the work was too hard. Their main reasons were losing interest, not seeing themselves as professional engineers, unfair behavior from male peers, and the high-pressure work environment. A problem called "stereotype threat" can also affect women's school performance. This means that because of existing stereotypes about women's math abilities, they sometimes perform worse than they would have without those stereotypes.

Workplace Experiences

Many companies have hired more women engineers in recent decades due to political and social pressure. Besides their engineering skills, women engineers are said to bring unique caring and problem-solving skills. Companies that hired more women often changed from heavy manufacturing to lighter work, focused more on service jobs, improved working conditions, and generally improved women's status at work.

However, engineering is still a field where men greatly outnumber women. Men often hold higher management positions, and women's promotion chances are usually more limited. These reasons, along with family duties and layoffs, led to about 20% of female engineers dropping out between 1982 and 1990. This rate was more than double that of men.

Some experts, like Crompton and Sanderson, suggest that unfair treatment in high-level technical jobs is actually decreasing. They believe that equal-opportunities laws ensure men and women are treated fairly when applying for jobs. They also say that old ideas of engineering as "dirty" or "manly" jobs are fading. This opens up more job opportunities for women. Also, the gender pay gap in STEM jobs is smaller than in other jobs. Women in STEM earn about 84% of what men earn, compared to 71% in non-STEM jobs.

But recent information shows that sexist behavior is still a problem for women in STEM careers. According to Logel, regularly dealing with sexist men can cause a stressful feeling called "social identity threat" in women. Women engineers who faced sexist men often performed worse on tests than those who didn't. Women in low-stress environments felt more confident and fulfilled. But women who faced unfair treatment were more likely to hide their feelings. This is bad for both the women and the workplace, as sexist behavior can continue.

Efforts to Encourage Women in Engineering

Even though science and engineering are becoming more important in society, the number of women in these fields hasn't grown as much. This could mean a lack of women's talent in these areas, which might limit job opportunities for everyone. To make engineering more appealing to young women, some suggest making college admissions criteria broader. This means considering things like extracurricular activities, how much an applicant wants to join the program, and their communication skills. It's also strongly suggested that colleges prioritize different ethnic backgrounds.

Research shows that high school and college-age women often see STEM as a "cold, male-dominated" place that doesn't understand women's needs. "Social coping" is a way women deal with the challenges and stress of tough engineering courses and careers. Studies show that women who use social coping are more likely to stay in engineering studies than men. So, school teachers, staff, parents, and others are encouraged to create a more supportive environment for social coping.

Having more influential female role models is also a way to increase women's engineering enrollment. Surveys of female engineering students show that many women who felt confident in math and science had parents who showed less traditional gender roles. To increase women's enrollment and keep them in engineering, experts suggest moving away from the popular "nuclear family" model.

The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) was started on May 27, 1950, by Elsie Eaves. It's a non-profit group that aims to raise awareness of female engineers and increase their numbers. SWE held its first meeting with 50 engineers. Now, it has over 17,000 members in more than 300 student groups across the U.S. SWE's main goals are to tell female students about engineering opportunities and encourage female engineers to achieve great things.

In 1989, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers formed the Board on Minorities and Women. This was because diversity became more important. The Board's goal is to make the ASME a welcoming place for everyone to join and lead. They also encourage women and minorities to seek and keep engineering careers. The Board offers leadership programs, grants, conferences, and training.

Famous American Women Engineers

• Nora Stanton Blatch Barney (1883–1971) – The first woman to get a civil engineering degree from Cornell University in 1905. She was accepted into the American Society of Civil Engineers but later denied full membership.
• Mary Barra – The first female CEO of a major global car company, General Motors (GM), starting in 2013.
• Gail Boydston – A Chemical Engineer at Eli Lilly and Company. She helped develop new types of insulin.
• Edith Clarke (1883-1959) – The first woman professional electrical engineer. She was also the first woman to get a graduate degree in EE from MIT and the first woman EE professor.
• Olive Dennis (1885–1957) – The second woman to graduate from Cornell with a civil engineering degree in 1920. She became the first "Service Engineer" for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
• Denice Denton (1959–2006) – An Electrical Engineering Professor and Dean at the University of Washington. She was the first woman in the U.S. to lead an engineering college at a major university.
• Mildred Dresselhaus (1930–2017) – A Professor of Physics and Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She won the National Medal of Science in 1990 for her work on materials.
• Bonnie Dunbar (1949–) – A NASA astronaut with a degree in Ceramic Engineering. She was honored as the Rockwell International Engineer of the Year in 1978.
• Thelma Estrin (1924–) – A Professor Emerita of Computer Science at UCLA. She did important work in expert systems and biomedical engineering.
• Rose Faghih – An Associate Professor of Biomedical engineering at New York University Tandon School of Engineering. She was recognized for pioneering MINDWATCH and for developing tools using microwave technology.
• Bertha Lamme Feicht (1869–1943) – The first woman to get an engineering degree from Ohio State University and the first female engineer hired by Westinghouse.
• Lillian Gilbreth (1878–1972) – One of the first working female engineers with a PhD. She helped improve efficiency in workplaces.
• Lois Graham (1925–2013) – A Professor of thermodynamics at IIT. She was the first woman in engineering departments at RPI and IIT, and the first woman to get a PhD in mechanical engineering (1959).
• Beatrice Hicks (1919–1979) – Had degrees in both Chemical and Electrical engineering. She was a founding member of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and the first woman hired at Western Electric Company.
• Grace Murray Hopper (1906–1992) – Developed the first computer compiler at Harvard. She also invented the COBOL programming language.
• Paige Kassalen (1993–) – An American electrical engineer who was the only American, female, and youngest member of the ground crew for the Solar Impulse 2 project.
• Barbara McClintock (1902–1992) – A notable contributor to biomedical engineering. She won a Nobel Prize.
• Elizabeth Messer – An Aerospace engineer at NASA. She was the first female engineer at NASA's Stennis Space Center.
• Mahta Moghaddam – An Iranian-American Electrical and Computer Engineer at the University of Southern California. She is known for developing sensor systems to understand climate change and microwave tools for medical use.
• Frances “Poppy” Northcutt (1943-) – The first woman to work for NASA’s Mission Control. She worked on trajectory analysis for Apollo missions.
• Elisabeth Pate-Cornell (1948–) – Has a PhD in engineering with a focus on risk management. She is a Distinguished Professor at Stanford University and the first female engineering faculty member from Stanford elected to the National Academy of Engineering.
• Judith Resnik (1949–1986) – A NASA Astronaut with a PhD in Electrical Engineering. She died in the Challenger mission. An award in engineering is named after her.
• Ellen Swallow Richards (1842–1911) – Known as the "mother of environmental engineering." She did the first water quality studies in Massachusetts in 1870.
• Mary G. Ross (1908–2008) – The first Native American female engineer. She was one of the founding engineers of the secret Skunk Works project at Lockheed Corporation.
• Nancy D. Fitzroy (1927– ) – The first woman president of ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers).
• Katherine Stinson (1891–1977) – The first woman to work for the Civil Aeronautics Administration (now the Federal Aviation Administration).
• Carlia S. Westcott – The first woman to become a licensed Marine Engineer.

Groups That Help Women in Engineering

• Society of Women Engineers (SWE) – A non-profit group started in 1950. SWE is the world’s largest supporter for women in engineering and technology. It has 38,000 members.
• Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology – A non-profit group started by computer scientist Anita Borg in 1997. Its main goal is to find, keep, and help women grow in technology careers.
• Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing – A series of conferences started in 1994 to highlight the work and careers of women in computing. It's now part of the Anita Borg Institute and is the world's largest gathering of women in computing.
• IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) – One of the biggest international groups that helps women engineers and scientists. It also inspires girls around the world to pursue engineering careers.
• Robogals – An international student-run group that wants to greatly increase the number of young women who choose engineering. It started at the University of Melbourne in 1988 and focuses a lot on robotics and electrical engineering.
• Phi Sigma Rho – A social sorority founded at Purdue University on September 24, 1984. The founders, Rashmi Khanna and Abby McDonald, started it because their engineering studies made it hard to join traditional sororities. It has grown to 45 chapters nationally and helps build a strong community for women in engineering.