The rationale for this study on women’s persistence in the engineering profession is based on the social cognitive career theory which identifies bothindividual and contextual factors to explain the choice of undergraduate majors principally those associated with STEM careers. The SCCT was later updated by Lent to address career development decisions. SCCT provides a framework for understanding career decisions including interests, career choice, and persistence in educational pursuits.
While initially developed to address career entry for those in late adolescence there is potential for the use of SCCT in examining the persistence of women in engineering careers.