Abstract
Is this a man's world? Surprisingly the 21st century is still struggling with gender discrimination issues in many countries and in many professions. This chapter presents an analysis of the situation facing women professionals working in a developed country, Australia, and in a developing country, Chile, in the engineering/ICT sectors. The approach taken emphasizes the continued existence of inequality in these male-dominated professions based on existing research that shows what continues to be an underrepresentation of women in engineering/ICT. It is expected that the overview of this significant problem of underrepresentation will identify a number of factors at play here and that solutions to the problem will be similar in different countries.
TopBackground
Gender stereotyping evolving from long held perception and biases means that possible future career paths in STEM are jeopardized for women from childhood (Broadley, 2015; Mills, 2011). When high school students are in their last years, it is essential to decide what career path they will follow; however, often female students have already made choices about math and science subjects in primary school which will limit their subsequent tertiary study and career choices (Heaverlo, 2011; Puri, 2017). Where female students want to pursue careers in engineering or ICT, they soon realize that most of their colleagues will be males. Pursuing a career in engineering or ICT can be considered an excellent choice for students due to employment possibilities after graduation and further opportunities for career progression. Additionally, these jobs are well remunerated and considered prestigious right from entry into university because of the high tertiary entrance marks required (Cipriano, 2008; Hoerning, 1940).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Gender Gap: The differences between women and men with regard to social, political, intellectual, cultural, or economic outcomes.
Information and Communications Technology (ICT): It is an extension of information technology (IT) integrating the field of communications. It is a broad concept that involves any outcome that will store, manipulate, transmit, retrieve, or receive information automatically in a digital form (e.g., personal computers, digital television, emails).
Civil Engineering Course: Six-year program to study engineering. It could be in any discipline: industrial, mechanics, electronics, and many others. The main reason it is called “civil” is due to its professionals being capable of creating or designing. Civil engineers are particularly suitable for managerial positions.
Department of Employment, Science, and Training (DEST): Australian government department that is responsible for the policies and programs of the primary and secondary schools to incentivize students towards STEM careers.
Global Engineering Deans Council Conference (GEDC): International forum constituted by 20 leaders from engineering education institutions and corporate associates. The main goal of the GEDC is to offer engineering deans and rectors ideas, tools, and “best” practices necessary to become innovative leaders of engineering education.
Execution Engineering Course: Four-year program to study engineering. It could be in any discipline: industrial, mechanics, electronics, and many others. The main reason it is called “execution” is due to its professionals being capable of interpreting the designs and executing them. It is more technical than the civil course.
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM): It is a scholastic program established to instruct primary and secondary students for university and graduate study in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR): Provides assistance to the Australian government and administers programs, aiming to accomplish government goals for schooling, employment, and workplace relations. The department works in partnership with the states and territories, non-government authorities, providers, and industry in Australia.