The Gender Perspective of Professional Competencies in Industrial Engineering Studies

Maria Inmaculada Tazo,Ana Boyano,Amaia Calleja-Ochoa,Unai Fernandez-Gámiz

doi:10.3390/su12072945

Abstract

Sexism and gender relations in higher education require special attention and are a topic of great interest in regulations related to education. The low participation percentage of women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) studies has been identified as one of the main problems that must be resolved in order to close the gender gap that exists in the technology sector. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of professional competences on the selection of university studies according to the absence or presence of masculinization factors in those studies. Mechanical engineering competences, both generic and transversal, and competence acquisition methods, are classified into ‘care’ (feminine) or ‘provisions’ (masculine) concepts. After the competence analysis, it can be concluded that explicit engineering curricula are focused on “provisions”, which translates into a cultural perception of industrial engineering as a male profession. After a professional competence analysis in engineering studies at The University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), our study identified a relationship between the masculinization factors included in professional competences and the selection of university studies. This paper presents working actions towards the incorporation of a gender perspective into the degree in mechanical engineering at the UPV/EHU.

Highlights

“Gender perspectives” can be defined as the study of male and female cultural and social constructions, which identify feminine and the masculine characteristics
In the case of Mechanical Engineering, the objective is placed on machines and installations, whereas in Environmental Engineering, the aim is correcting the environmental problems generated by industrial activity. After this mechanical and chemical degrees comparison, it should not be forgotten that along with the explicit curriculum, in which competences are included, there are other factors influencing students’ choice of university degree. This is, the historical origin of each engineering degree, the image that society has of it, the culture of the educational center in which the degree is taught, the field of application as well as the closest environment to the person
It will be necessary to analyze the influence of these factors on industrial engineering and on those engineering degrees that present higher percentages of women. (Table 3)

Summary

Introduction

“Gender perspectives” can be defined as the study of male and female cultural and social constructions, which identify feminine and the masculine characteristics. This socio–cultural analysis is focused on exploring the power inequalities between men and women [1]. In 2019, the analysis of the gender pay gap among UK academic economists concluded that job rank is found to be a determinant factor, in other words, women are paid less because they cannot reach the highest positions [4]. From a legislative point of view, the Spanish Organic Law 6/2001 (21/12/2001) of Universities has been modified by the Organic Law 4/2007 (12/04/2007) The preface to this law states that “the University’s role as an essential transmitter of values . Some research has concluded that women in engineering express less confidence in their STEM skills than men do [11,12,13])

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Conclusion