Encouraging women to consider engineering as a career choice is a difficult task. The fact that only 17% of first year entrants to engineering degree courses in 1991 were women is only a symptom of a larger problem Society is very successful at channelling men and women in different directions and technology is traditionally
restricted to the male domain. While the bonfires of bras have been lit, the days of men and women having equally accessible career choices are still a long way off. But what about women now? The girls, like myself, who grew up with tea sets instead of meccano sets. How can we even consider engineering?
The first problem may be that we have a view of engineers as men who work on engines and get knee-deep in oil. This is the first mistake. The second is to think of the girls who do choose engineering as deviant. The list of misconceptions regarding engineering and engineers goes on and on and this article is concerned with laying some of these myths to rest.
Simply put an engineer is a person who solves problems. The possibilities are therefore endless: the task may be to design a pump, investigate materials, test and model hip prostheses, develop computer techniques etc. The beauty is that you go to college for four years and learn how best to approach such problems - you're not expected to know it all before you go. A few years in college will also enlighten you to the fact that professional engineers, male or otherwise, rarely get their hands dirty. The majority of the time is spent designing and testing and much of the hands-on manufacturing etc. is passed into the capable hands of skilled technicians who are certainly more qualified for such tasks.
So what can the decision to become an engineer be based on? All you may have to go on is an inkling for maths and an affinity for science, but believe me, it's enough. There may be a tendency to think that because some boys' schools cater for technical drawing, applied maths and engineering studies, one might be at a disadvantage from the outset. A quick glance at the subject outline for first year engineering will soon put your fears at rest by showing you that it is possible to catch up. After all there are also boys out there who haven't been taught these subjects and who haven't been taking engines apart since they left the cradle!Let us assume you've decided to choose engineering and you find yourself in a male dominated class. What can you expect? Summarised it amounts to a lot of slagging. Comments may be made on your intelligence your dress and sexist remarks abound, so what do you do? Do you succumb to the stereotype image of a female engineer as a permanently jean clad, crude talking and pint swilling lad?
A successful female engineer is not one who alienates herself completely from her femininity so that she can fit in and become indistinguishable from her male counterparts. As I mentioned earlier men and women are taught to be different so combining years of inbred femininity and being 'one of the lads' is one of the challenges for female engineers. Once this has been addressed, you will find that you are in the envious position of having more male friends than female! Yes, despite all the slagging they can be your best friends and you can have some fun after all. You co-operative work experience will tell you that the fun doesn't end in college. Whether you go out into industry or continue on in postgraduate work, you will find that your workplace is a mere extension of that college classroom. So where does it all end? Marriage? Parenthood? Or plain old retirement? Definitely food for another article!
Paula Trench holds a BEng Degree and is currently studying at UL for a Doctorate in the field of Biomechanics. Her thesis involves model testing of hip replacement components.
