Will the Head of Engineering Please Stand Up? The Underrepresentation of Women in Engineering

Abstract

This chapter examines a highly gender segregated area of employment for women – engineering – a profession where this segregation begins at school, continues through to the workplace and is underpinned by gender stereotypical views of what constitutes, ‘men’s work and women’s work’ (Bradley, 1989). The chapter offers an insight into what life is like for female engineers, specifically in relation to their numerical under-representation, how they think women engineers are perceived and the challenges they face as female professional engineers in male dominated workplaces.