Male-dominated Industries Research Articles

Construction workers' alcohol use, knowledge, perceptions of risk and workplace norms.

Globally, there is growing concern regarding workers' alcohol use and its implications for health, wellbeing and workplace safety. Male-dominated industries are more susceptible to risky alcohol consumption and its associated harms. This paper investigated the patterns, prevalence and predictors of risky drinking among construction workers. Male construction workers (n = 511) completed a survey measuring alcohol-related measures including Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test - Concise (AUDIT-C), which was compared with population data. Hierarchical multiple regression examined alcohol-related knowledge, perception of risk to workplace safety, psychological distress, job stress, general health, quality of life and workplace alcohol culture variables as predictors of risky drinking. Prevalence of risky drinking was higher than the national average, particularly for younger (<25 years) and mid-aged (45-54 years) workers. One in six construction workers reported workmates being visibly affected by alcohol in the workplace. Key predictors of risky drinking were perception of alcohol-related risks to workplace safety, general health, alcohol knowledge and descriptive norms regarding workmates' alcohol use. These findings provide useful insights into the patterns and predictors of risky drinking in construction and can inform future preventive programs and interventions in high-risk workplaces. In addition to tailoring programs to both young and mid-aged workers, this work highlights the importance of implementing strategies to increase awareness of risks to workplace safety; and the adoption of norms that inhibit the social acceptability of risky drinking behaviour in the wider workplace.

Working at heights: patterns and predictors of illicit drug use in construction workers

Employee drug use poses a serious risk to health and safety in male-dominated industries yet patterns and determinants of drug use in construction are not well understood. This study assessed prevalence rates and predictors of Australian construction workers’ use of cannabis, cocaine and meth/amphetamine. Workers (N = 511) completed a survey that assessed use of the three drug types; alcohol use; general health and mental health; job stress and the workplace cultural norms for each drug. Hierarchical binary logistic regressions examined predictors. Use of each drug over the past 12 months was two–five times higher than the national averages. Higher alcohol consumption was a consistent predictor across drug types and younger age and poorer general health were predictive of cannabis and cocaine use. Higher psychological distress was associated only with cannabis use. Workplace availability, descriptive and injunctive norms were significant predictors of cocaine use. The findings highlight concerning patterns of drug use in construction, particularly high levels of cocaine, with serious implications. The influence of cocaine workplace availability and norms highlight the importance of the workplace culture. Multi-component approaches involving culture change and individual-level responses that target vulnerable workers are required to minimize risk from drug-related harm.

A systematic review protocol examining workplace interventions that aim to improve employee health and wellbeing in male-dominated industries

BackgroundThe workplace environment potentially provides access to a large population who are employed, and it is an employer's responsibility to provide appropriate conditions for its employees. Whilst the aetiology of cardiovascular disease is multifactorial, it is generally acknowledged that working conditions, gender and age are involved in its development. Male-dominated industries (comprising > 70% male workers, e.g., agriculture, construction, manufacturing, mining, transport and technology) have a higher prevalence of health risk behaviours than other population subgroups. Working in a gender-dominated industry can impact an employee's health and wellbeing, particularly for the opposite sex. This systematic review examines workplace interventions that address the health and wellbeing of employees in male-dominated industries.MethodsWe will include randomised controlled trials and studies with non-randomised intervention groups. The interventions must aim to improve employee physical and/or mental health and wellbeing implemented in the workplace in male-dominated industries. There will be no limits on date. The following electronic databases will be searched for published studies: Web of Science, Embed, MedLine, PsycInfo and the Cochrane Database. The search strategy will include free-text terms and MeSH vocabulary, including ‘male-dominated industries’, ‘workplace interventions’, ‘occupational stress’, ‘mental health’, ‘cardiovascular disease’, ‘blood pressure’, ‘body mass index’ and ‘exercise’. Two authors will independently select, review and extract data from studies that meet the inclusion criteria. The Cochrane's Risk of Bias tool will be used to assess risk of bias. We will perform structured summaries of the included studies and, if possible, conduct meta-analyses or construct an Albatross plot.DiscussionThere are an increasing number of interventions designed to improve employee health and wellbeing in the workplace, but no prior review that systematically evaluates their effectiveness. A systematic review is required to prioritise the future implementation of those interventions found to be most effective.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42019161283

Determinants of female entrepreneurship in male- and female-dominated sectors in selected European countries

Objective: Female entrepreneurship rates vary strongly across countries and industries. The aim of this paper is to verify what determines female entrepreneurship in male-dominated industries and female-dominated industries and whether the differences between those types of sectors are significant. Research Design & Methods: We use panel data across 7 European countries in the timespan of 2009-2018 to verify our assumptions. We study the Construction (NACE F) and Human Health and Social Work Activities (NACE Q) industries. Findings: The research shows significant differences amongst the determinants of female entrepreneurship in male-dominated and female-dominated industries. Industry-specific determinants play an important role in male-dominated industries and a much lesser role in female-dominated ones. Contribution & Value Added: The conducted research indicates the necessity of including the industry-perspective in studies on female entrepreneurship. Previous studies have frequently neglected this aspect, paying more attention to country-specific determinants.

Exploring the relationship between psychological distress and likelihood of help seeking in construction workers: The role of talking to workmates and knowing how to get help.

Mental health problems are prevalent in male-dominated industries such as construction, where suicide rates are higher than the population average and help seeking is typically low. To examine psychological distress in Australian construction workers and its relationship with help seeking via two hypothesised mediators: confidence in knowing how to get help and confidence in talking to workmates about mental health issues. Workers (N = 511) completed a survey that assessed psychological distress, likelihood of help seeking, and confidence in knowing how to get help and talking to workmates. Bootstrapped multiple mediation analysis was performed using the PROCESS macro for SPSS. Psychological distress was higher than national estimates and most prevalent in men aged 25-44. Controlling for age and ability to recognise personal signs of mental health problems, psychological distress negatively predicted likelihood of help seeking. This relationship was partially mediated by knowing how to get help and confidence in talking to workmates. Results highlight the need to redress and mitigate mental health problems among high-risk groups of male workers. It provides useful guidance on multilevel workplace strategies to reduce stigma, enhance confidence and comfort in the process of seeking help and support in construction and other male-dominated industries.

Re-Inscribing Gender Relations through Employment-Related Geographical Mobility: The Case of Newfoundland Youth in Resource Extraction

Despite the popular representation of the masculine hero migrant (Ni Laoire, 2001), rural youth scholars have found that young men are more likely to stay on in their communities, while young women tend to be more mobile, leaving for education and better employment opportunities elsewhere (Corbett, 2007b; Lowe, 2015). Taking a spatialized approach (Farrugia, Smyth &amp; Harrison, 2014), we contribute to and extend the rural youth studies scholarship on gender, mobilities and place by considering the case of young Newfoundlanders’ geographical mobilities in relation to male-dominated resource extraction industries. We draw on findings from two SSHRC-funded research projects, the Rural Youth and Recovery project, a subcomponent of the Community-University Research for Recovery Alliance (CURRA) and the Youth, Apprenticeship and Mobility project, a subcomponent of the On the Move Partnershi We argue that the spatial coding of gender relations in rural Newfoundland makes certain kinds of mobilities more intelligible and possible for young men, while constraining women’s. In other words, gender relations of rural places are “stretched out” (Farrugia et al., 2014) across space through the mobility practices of young men and women in relation to work in skilled trades and resource extraction industries. These “stretched out” gender relations are reproduced by the organisation of a sector that relies on a mobile workforce free from care and domestic work and familiar with manual work.

The Representation of Women’s CEO Image in Online Media

The research focused on the representation of women in the news about the absence of women in Uber’s CEO candidates from the perspective of feminist stylistics by Sara Mills. Five news texts from five different websites published during August 2017 were analyzed; they were Washington Post, Daily Mail, Inverse, Gizmodo, and Fortune. The method used was a qualitative research method with the approach of critical discourse analysis of Sara Mills. By applying three levels of analysis which was analysis at the level of the word, phrase/sentence, and discourse, this research aimed to analyze how women were represented linguistically in the online news of Uber’s CEO candidates and to discover the reason why women were represented in the way they were. The findings reveal that women remain underrepresented in news media. It is proved by the dominance of women as the object in the stories. Moreover, women are represented as ‘glass cliff position’, minority, and a way to recreate the good image in the company. The gender stereotypes, the background story of Uber, the male-dominated industries, and the prevalent condition become the reasons why women represented that way.

Women in urban forestry and arboriculture: Experiences, barriers and strategies for leadership

Urban forestry and arboriculture are male-dominated industries. Although women have experienced current and historical marginalization in these industries, recent years have seen more young women embrace opportunities and pursue careers in these fields. In order to understand and enhance women’s participation in urban forestry and arboriculture, this research assesses the current status of women’s participation in these industries, barriers they have experienced, and strategies used to overcome these barriers and promote women’s leadership. A total of 515 women working in urban forestry or arboriculture in Canada and the United States completed an online survey consisting of Likert-type, multiple-selection, and open-ended questions. Sixty percent of respondents reported unequal workplace treatment by gender, 74% had experienced sexist behaviour or harassment, and 84% had experienced workplace barriers that were gender-based. The frequency of inequitable experiences varied according to socio-demographic factors. Discrimination was the most commonly-experienced barrier, followed by family responsibilities, promotion bias, and the gender pay gap. Open-ended responses, which provided additional context, also varied according to socio-demographics. The top five strategies suggested to promote women’s leadership were sponsorship/mentoring, confidence, communication, work-life balance, and career planning, with suggestions varying by barrier experienced. This research presents much-needed initial insights into women’s experiences in urban forestry and arboriculture, with a focus on barriers to equity and strategies to overcome them. It is intended to begin a larger conversation on gender-based equity in these fields and points to areas for future research.

Does the commercial real estate industry need “more pussy on the block?”

PurposeIn a controversial 2018 interview, commercial real estate mogul Sam Zell insinuated that companies should promote their employees based exclusively on merit and avoid purposefully taking steps to get “more pussy on the block” in the name of gender equality. The comment was criticized not only for its crassness, but also for its failure to recognize the challenges many women working in the commercial real estate industry face in their efforts to obtain the same opportunities, compensation and status as similarly-qualified men. In an effort to overcome these disparities, the purpose of this paper is to focus on the pervasiveness of second-generation gender bias and stereotyping in the field through a qualitative analysis.Design/methodology/approachSemi-structured interviews were conducted with 39 women serving as local chapter presidents of a prominent commercial real estate trade group to explore the impact of gender on their career advancement and their experiences with second-generation gender bias.FindingsThe findings suggest unintentional discrimination often influences women’s careers by drawing their communication skills, professional credibility and commitment to the organizations for whom they work into question.Originality/valueThe research contributes to the existing literature by offering additional evidence that unintentional discrimination is common in male-dominated industries, such as commercial real estate. It also provides clear examples of social cues women perceive to heighten tension along gender lines and impinge upon their ability to ascend to leadership positions.

Force and Inertia: A Systematic Review of Women’s Leadership in Male-Dominated Organizational Cultures in the United States

The ascension of women into top leadership roles in male-dominated industries and organizations in the United States remains significantly low despite inroads women have made over the past two decades. The scarcity of women in leadership has been attributed to gendered traits and socialized beliefs that inform organizational cultures. However, research suggests that leaders can also influence organizational culture because they model the primary principles undergirding workplace cultures. This systematic review sought to understand how women’s leadership has been described in influencing male-dominated organizational cultures. Three major themes were identified to answer the research question—Strategic Femininity, Shared Power, and Change Agents. Using the analogy of inertia and force, a discussion of the findings and implications for human resource development (HRD) research and practice are presented.

Gendered expectations for female-driven films: risk and rescue narratives around Warner Bros.’ Wonder Woman

ABSTRACT After Wonder Woman’s 2017 release, celebratory rhetoric about breaking the superhero glass ceiling abounded. The film’s reception parallels broader industry myths about female-drive films rooted in Hollywood blockbuster production cultures. Specific industry lore blaming an individual filmmaker’s lack of experience or disinterest in superhero projects masks more complex issues of access, bankability, and failure. Through a feminist media studies and media industries studies approach based on industry interviews, trade publication coverage, and box office data, Wonder Woman serves as a case study to explore how larger gendered expectations and industry lore about economic viability and risk inform the traditionally masculine landscape of media franchising cultures. Framed within contemporary gender equity conversations, the critical and cultural debates surrounding the film’s production and theatrical release reveal the literal superhero expectations placed on female-driven films for disrupting, overcoming, and dismantling systemic marginalization faced not only by female filmmakers but women working across the male-dominated entertainment industries.

Development of job demands, decision authority and social support in industries with different gender composition \u2013 Sweden, 1991\u20132013

BackgroundThis study aims to explore the development of job demands, decision authority and social support within and between industries with different gender composition in Sweden between 1991 and 2013.MethodsCross-sectional data from 12 waves of the Swedish Work Environment Surveys (1991 to 2013), comprising in total 109,698 respondents, were used. Industries were classified in 7 categories according to its gender composition and main activity, comprising two female-dominated, three gender-mixed and two male-dominated industries. Proportions of workers reporting high job demands, low decision authority and poor social support between 1991 and 2013 were calculated. Logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate variation across time, using 1991 as the reference category, and between industries, using knowledge intensive services as the reference category. Estimates for high job demands, low decision authority and poor social support were presented as average marginal effects (AMEs).ResultsThe probabilities of reporting low decision authority were higher in education and health and social care during the whole study period, for both genders, compared with the reference category of knowledge intensive services. The probability of having high job demands were higher for men and women in education, and women in health and social care, compared with the reference category. Men in the male dominated industries had increased job demands over time, compared to the beginning of the study period (1991). The probability of reporting poor social support was higher in the later than in the earliest time period for women in the female-dominated industry health and social care as well as in the gender-mixed labour intensive services industry.ConclusionsThere has been a negative development of job demands and decision authority in the female-dominated industries education and health and social care in Sweden, whereas social support has developed more negatively for women in health and social care and in labour intensive services.

Progress or regress on gender equality: The case study of selected transport STEM careers and their vocational education and training in Japan

This paper examines the role of vocational education and training (VET) in the STEM workforce to advance women's integration into traditionally male-dominated workplaces. In Japan, it has been reported that the size of the workforce has been substantially decreasing since 2011. One of the effective strategies to mitigate the risk of the shortage of human resources is considered to be making use of women in the STEM field. In this paper, the Japanese transport sector is studied to understand the role of VET to support women in the STEM workforce. We shed light on the merchant marine as one of the most male-dominated industries. A comparative institutional analysis was elaborated with other transport industries, such as air and rail. In addition, a narrative analysis was conducted with the empirical data as well as archived literature. The paper reveals that the merchant marine has failed to establish an institutional arrangement of maritime VET from the women transport workers' career-cycle perspective. The paper concludes that the role of VET is important not only before the employment but also after, in order to make sustainable use of women as human resources. In order to remove barriers to including women in STEM careers, institutional arrangement of VET should be reviewed through gender-mainstreaming and life-long VET would help to stop the leaky pipe line of STEM women in Japan.

Who needs to be “more equal” and why? Doing gender equality in male-dominated industries

PurposeThis study aims to deepen the understanding of inequality regimes in male-dominated industries, specifically in Swedish forestry and mining, by exploring how conceptions of gender, class and place are articulated and intertwined when doing gender equality in these organizations.Design/methodology/approachThe article draws on empirical material from four research and development projects inspired by a feminist action research methodology.FindingsThis paper shows how gender equality works in these male-dominated organizations simultaneously constructing gender, class and place. When men are at the focal point of gender equality, our empirical findings suggest that blue-collar workers in rural areas are described as “being the problem” for gender inequality in these organizations. Addressing specific groups such as women or blue-collar workers in rural areas is not enough to challenge the inequality regimes that exist in these organizations, since a unilateral focus on certain groups leads to skewed problem formulations.Originality/valueResearch on gender equality work and its relation to intersectionality in male-dominated industries is limited, and by focusing on men and masculinities, this paper contributes to knowledge concerning gender equality in male-dominated industrial organizations.

Gender Discrimination in Small Business Lending. Evidence from a Lab in-the-Field Experiment in Turkey

We implement a lab-in-the-field experiment with 334 Turkish loan officers to document gender discrimination in small business lending and to unpack the mechanisms at play. Each officer reviews multiple real-life loan applications in which we randomize the applicant's gender. While unconditional approval rates are the same for male and female applicants, loan officers are 26 percent more likely to require a guarantor when we present the same application as coming from a female instead of a male entrepreneur. A causal forest algorithm to estimate heterogeneous treatment effects reveals that this discrimination is strongly concentrated among young, inexperienced, and gender-biased loan officers. Discrimination mainly affects female loan applicants in male-dominated industries, indicating how financial frictions can perpetuate entrepreneurial gender segregation across sectors.

Preliminary Effectiveness of a Smartphone App to Reduce Depressive Symptoms in the Workplace: Feasibility and Acceptability Study.

BackgroundThe workplace represents a unique setting for mental health interventions. Due to range of job-related factors, employees in male-dominated industries are at an elevated risk. However, these at-risk groups are often overlooked. HeadGear is a smartphone app–based intervention designed to reduce depressive symptoms and increase well-being in these populations.ObjectiveThis paper presents the development and pilot testing of the app’s usability, acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary effectiveness.MethodsThe development process took place from January 2016 to August 2017. Participants for prototype testing (n=21; stage 1) were recruited from industry partner organizations to assess acceptability and utility. A 5-week effectiveness and feasibility pilot study (n=84; stage 2) was then undertaken, utilizing social media recruitment. Demographic data, acceptability and utility questionnaires, depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), and other mental health measures were collected.ResultsThe majority of respondents felt HeadGear was easy to use (92%), easily understood (92%), were satisfied with the app (67%), and would recommend it to a friend (75%; stage 1). Stage 2 found that compared with baseline, depression and anxiety symptoms were significantly lower at follow-up (t30=2.53; P=.02 and t30=2.18; P=.04, respectively), days of sick leave in past month (t28=2.38; P=.02), and higher self-reported job performance (t28=−2.09; P=.046; stage 2). Over 90% of respondents claimed it helped improve their mental fitness, and user feedback was again positive. Attrition was high across the stages.ConclusionsOverall, HeadGear was well received, and preliminary findings indicate it may provide an innovative new platform for improving mental health outcomes. Unfortunately, attrition was a significant issue, and findings should be interpreted with caution. The next stage of evaluation will be a randomized controlled trial. If found to be efficacious, the app has the potential to reduce disease burden and improve health in this at-risk group.

Worker Preferences for a Mental Health App Within Male-Dominated Industries: Participatory Study.

BackgroundMen are less likely to seek help for mental health problems, possibly because of stigma imposed by cultural masculine norms. These tendencies may be amplified within male-dominated workplaces such as the emergency services or transport industries. Mobile apps present a promising way to provide access to mental health support. However, little is known about the kinds of mental health technologies men would be willing to engage with, and no app can be effective if the intended users do not engage with it.ObjectiveThe goal of this participatory user research study was to explore the perceptions, preferences, and ideas of workers in male-dominated workplaces to define requirements for a mental health app that would be engaging and effective at improving psychological well-being.MethodsWorkers from male-dominated workplaces in rural, suburban, and urban locations took part in an exploratory qualitative study involving participatory workshops designed to elicit their perspectives and preferences for mental health support and the design of an app for mental health. Participants generated a number of artifacts (including draft screen designs and promotional material) designed to reify their perceptions, tacit knowledge, and ideas.ResultsA total of 60 workers aged between 26 and 65 years, 92% (55/60) male, from male-dominated workplaces in rural (16/60, 27%), suburban (14/60, 23%), and urban (30/60, 50%) locations participated in one of the 6 workshops, resulting in 49 unique feature ideas and 81 participant-generated artifacts. Thematic analysis resulted in a set of feature, language, and style preferences, as well as characteristics considered important by participants for a mental health app. The term “mental health” was highly stigmatized and disliked by participants. Tools including a mood tracker, self-assessment, and mood-fix tool were highly valued, and app characteristics such as brevity of interactions, minimal on-screen text, and a solutions-oriented approach were considered essential by participants. Some implementation strategies based on these findings are included in the discussion.ConclusionsFuture mental health mobile phone apps targeting workers in male-dominated workplaces need to consider language use and preferred features, as well as balance the preferences of users with the demands of evidence-based intervention. In addition to informing the development of mental health apps for workers in male-dominated industries, these findings may also provide insights for mental health technologies, for men in general, and for others in high-stigma environments.

A female leadership competency framework from the perspective of male leaders

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop a competency framework that incorporates the key leadership competencies required of female leaders working in male-dominated industries by putting particular emphasis on the male leaders’ point of view.Design/methodology/approachThis qualitative research combines a thorough literature review on important leadership competencies with ten in-depth, semi-structured interviews with male leaders from the Telecommunication and ICT industry, two typically male-dominated industries in Germany. All the interviews were transcribed and analysed through qualitative content analysis based on Mayring.FindingsFindings revealed that success of female leaders within male dominances is shaped by not only their exceptional professional expertise but also the complex mix of behaviours on a professional and interpersonal level.Practical implicationsThis study contributes to the academic debate on why only a few women reach the top of organisations in male-dominated industries by considering the perspective of male leaders. A competency model is proposed that incorporates both professional competencies and expected behaviours on a personal and interpersonal level and therefore enables leadership professionals to better understand the male leaders point of view on the complex mix of competencies expected from female leaders operating in male-dominated industries.Originality/valueThe need for more women in leadership has become a global business imperative, yet little is known about the competencies required to succeed in environments shaped by male leadership styles and the understanding that women are less capable leaders. Assessing the point of view of male leaders, who dominate these working environments, provides new and valuable insights into the complex issue of women in leadership for the academic debate and the practitioners’ point of view.

Women, bullying and the construction industry: Twisted gender dynamics in a male-dominated environment

To the extent that it can be construed as harassment, bullying within the workplace is illegal (Gov.uk, 2013). Despite this, evidence suggests that the phenomenon remains widespread, and often proliferates in obscure and ambiguous ways (Miner and Eischeid, 2012). The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) (2013) define bullying as “unwanted behaviour that makes someone feel intimidated, degraded, humiliated or offended”, with examples ranging from “spreading malicious rumours, or insulting someone, to exclusion or victimisation”. We present a subject that has received limited attention within the literature: bullying between women. In fact, this paper focuses on workplace bullying inflicted on women, by women, but in a male-dominated environment. It is against this background that we identify and explore the phenomenon at British Construction (a pseudonym) (BC). The following empirical data reflects the experiences described in the diary of a woman at BC (Tina, one of the authors of this paper). While such experience certainly includes the barriers to recruitment encountered, the emphasis here is on the specific challenges women encounter once working within the male-dominated industry. In fact, Tina was an employee at the company for 15 years and subsequently resigned following sustained bullying by a female colleague together with an employer that would not acknowledge its seriousness, or apply its policies to protect her in the absence of statutory law. On one level the story told in this paper will be one familiar to many of us: daily frustrations at work, resentment and self-doubt. Indeed, most of us accept such occurrences as inevitable. But on another level, the story reveals a dysfunctional behaviour which scholars working in the field of work and organization can actively help ameliorate. The narrative focuses on the phenomenon of bullying between women, and the cultural and leadership mechanisms through which male-dominated workforces apparently facilitate it. By way of analysis, this research uses the framework developed by MacIntosh et al. (2010). The framework suggests women typically experience workplace bullying through a four stage process. The four stages are defined as Being Conciliatory, Reconsidering, Reducing Interference and Redeveloping Balance. Such bullying is here conceptualised as part of what has become known in recent decades as the “Queen Bee Syndrome” (Staines et al., 1973). It is seen to have a detrimental effect not only on those involved directly, but on the broader relations between employee and employer. Whereas the vast majority of existing studies on workplace bullying rely on survey or other quantitative data, we here impart a first-hand experience by means of retrospective autoethnography (sometimes referred to as “autoethnography a posteriori”; see for example Boncori 2013: xvii). We go on to argue that, unaddressed, there are far-reaching implications for organisations, particularly in male-dominated industries. Organisations can mitigate this phenomenon by raising awareness, providing training, establishing and maintaining robust workplace policies, and – perhaps most pertinently - by actively championing gender balance in hitherto male-dominated industries. Additionally, in reflecting on the findings generated we speculate that although the Queen Bee Syndrome implies superficially that women are their own worst enemies (see, for example, findings reported by Rindfleish, 2000), we argue that this phenomenon is deeply entrenched in behavioural norms, the parameters for which have been defined by societal forces more generally. Finally, we delineate recommendations to expand research in this area to encompass the experiences of other women, in other industries.

Hanging the Culture and Attitude: Supporting Women Studying Mining Engineering

Attracting and retaining women studying STEM fields can be difficult, but even more so in very male-dominated industries such as mechanical engineering, metallurgical engineering, and mining engineering. South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is an engineering and science research university located in the state of South Dakota, United States of America. Researchers at the university have developed a program, funded by a NSF S-STEM grant, which provides financial support, mentoring, and programmatic activities to approximately 30 female students. In this paper, we will discuss curriculum changes, e.g., classroom environment, project-based learning, made by the program’s mining engineering faculty. We will also present lessons learned and ideas for future curriculum modifications.