While women still constitute less
than 20% of undergraduates at U.S.
engineering schools, a recent study of
more than 75,000 engineering students
at nine public universities found
that once they begin engineering studies,
women are just as likely as men to
graduate with an engineering degree
Lord et al. 2009. However, an analysis
of National Science Foundation data
by the Society of Women Engineers
found that women who earned bachelor’s
degrees in engineering in the
mid-1980s were less likely than men
to still be employed in engineering
20 years later. A 2005 survey of
graduates of 21 engineering colleges
conducted by the Society of Women
Engineers found that while 71% of the
male respondents believed that male
and female employees performing the
same jobs were treated equally where
they worked, only 39% of the female
respondents agreed Frehill 2007.
The 2008 National Academy of
Engineering report Changing the Conversation:
Messages for Improving Public Understanding
of Engineering focused on
making engineering more attractive to
the public in general and young
women in particular by improving the
image of engineering as a profession
that directly influences quality of life.
The study found that taglines such as
“Engineers make a world of difference”
and “Engineering is essential to our
health, happiness, and safety” resonated
particularly well with girls.