A global perspective on women engineers
By Jo O’Brien
When asked to picture a typical engineer, most people would think of a
man in hard hat mulling over plans of a building site, or perhaps a
dirty, sweaty car mechanic. During three weeks in July I found out how
wrong these stereotypes can be.
I’m a fourth year double degree civil engineering and international studies student who happens to be female. When I tell people engineering is my field of study I get a lot of incredulous looks as people exclaim that they would have never guessed. It’s true that engineering is still a male-dominated field but things have definitely started to change.
This year I was lucky enough to participate in a program called Women engineers pushing the limits, part of the annual conference put on by the International Institute for Women in Engineering (IIWE) at the École D’engineers in Paris.
The École D’engineers was a pioneer in its field, founded in 1925 as an exclusively women’s engineering school which in 1994 became co-ed as a way of modernising. Since then the number of male students have far outweighed the women. The school resolved to preserve its traditional image as an institution that promotes women in engineering so the concept of an international institute (the IIWE) was created to promote the school’s feminine ambitions worldwide.
IIWE gives participants a truly international perspective on engineering and this was the first time I have ever attended classes related to engineering in which men were actually the minority! Being on this program has made me realise just how different engineering can be in other cultures and parts of the world.
I have always taken for granted the support and facilities available for women in technical fields in Australia. I chose to study engineering because it is a field that interests me greatly, and I’ve enjoyed full support to study in this male-dominated field. I can study engineering without any repercussions because of my gender, but this is not the case everywhere.
It takes extreme bravery and determination to be a woman in a technical field like engineering in some cultures. In some parts of the Middle East and Africa, day to day study and going to university can be a very dangerous thing. Then there are the cases of the students who would never go to a male lecturer for help alone in the fear that they would be sexually harassed.
Despite the challenges still facing women engineers, the fact that the IIWE exists and is championing the rights of women engineers is a good sign. I think that as we learn to acknowledge the challenges we face and to appreciate the opportunities that are out there, things are beginning to change.
Jo O’Brien is a fourth year civil engineering/international studies student at UniSA.