Retention of Women in Engineering by Tamsin Izard

This article was written to mark International Women in Engineering day in 2024. It discusses the importance of women in engineering, and initatives taken by universities to encourage them.

tamsinamelie — 2024-10-04 20:18:11 UTC

Brainard and Carlin write about a study conducted by the University of Washington. It focuses on reasons women drop engineering majors, and ways the curriculum can be structured to retain women.

tamsinamelie — 2024-10-07 20:36:38 UTC

Penn State's WEP (women in engineering program) recently won an award for being an outstanding women in engineering program. This article details what they do do encourage women in engineering. This could be used as a model for other institutions if they, too, want to create a thriving community for their women engineers.

tamsinamelie — 2024-10-07 20:44:25 UTC

This source details the results of a study on what effectively opens more doors for women in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, Medicine). It points to what mentors, sponsors, and institutions can do to encourage a welcome environment for women, as well as what practices are ineffective.

tamsinamelie — 2024-10-07 20:48:23 UTC

This page details the mission and values of SWE (Society of Women Engineers), the largest global advocate for women in engineering. Their "about" page details their mission and goals, and what we should strive for to make engineering more inclusive for all.

tamsinamelie — 2024-10-07 20:57:11 UTC

This article specifically details the issues causing women to drop engineering and STEM, at both an academic and professional level. It discusses the main action items institutions can undertake to help retention, and finds how to best mitigate this issue.

tamsinamelie — 2024-10-07 21:00:38 UTC

Who can do something about this problem, and what can they do?

tamsinamelie — 2024-10-07 21:02:40 UTC

People in power in engineering schools and institutions can do the most for this problem. They can work towards creating an environment that is inclusive and respectful of women in engineering, through education and workshops. They can also find ways to restructure systems, curriculums, and hierarchies in a way that allows women to voice their concerns and thrive in a STEM environment.

Who are the stakeholders in this problem?

tamsinamelie — 2024-10-07 21:05:15 UTC

Female engineers, who want an inclusive and inviting environment that allows them to reach their full potential.

University deans and professors, who want a diverse student body and perspectives on research and projects from all types of people.

Employers, who want to be able to employ subsets of people with multiple different backgrounds.

Male engineers, who want to be able to work with diverse classmates/ coworkers and be able to address problems they may not recognize.

Community members, who want to see their issues get recognized and addressed by a diverse set of engineers.

What are the constraints and affordances around this problem?

tamsinamelie — 2024-10-07 21:07:38 UTC

Constraints:

There are almost too many things people are trying to do right now, we need to find what's most effective.
Cost of implementing more programs and resources
Time it takes to get systems approved, especially large-scale curriculum and corporate changes.

Affordances:

A problem many people in STEM already recognize and want to change
Federal and donor funding goes to more diverse institutions