Why Do So Many Women Who Study Engineering Leave the Field?

Engineering is the most male-dominated field in STEM. It may perhaps be the most male-dominated profession in the U.S., with women making up only 13% of the engineering workforce.

...So why do women who study engineering leave to pursue careers in other fields? Weexplored how the culture within engineering—the shared values, beliefs, and norms—might contribute to the under-representation of women in the profession. My colleagues Carroll Seron (UC Irvine), Erin Cech (University of Michigan), Brian Rubineau (McGill), and I conducted a longitudinal study of engineering students to see how “socialization,” or learning about the culture of engineering, affects their future job decisions. We found that female students do as well or better than male students in school—but often point to the hegemonic masculine culture of engineering itself as a reason for leaving.

Read full article: Harvard Business Review, August 23, 2016