There are a lot of engineers in this day-in-age, with the growing vast of elopements in technology of infrastructure. At least half of those engineers are women. I myself am an aspiring mechanical engineer, I am also a woman. in general, mechanical engineers have to implement the issue of extreme weather conditions and dangerous situations when building/creating a new invention and testing it in those conditions. While also women engineers need to face not only what was just previously mentioned but; not surprising at all, anyone would’ve guessed without research, and its pretty sad; also being under paid and purposefully made uncomfortable by male peers/colleagues.
Women engineers are welcomed with an already set power imbalance. They only make up about 13%-25% of engineering jobs; imagine women of color’s percentage, even less. Not only caused by being underpaid but given frivolous challenges set and face scrutiny by their male colleagues which some either quit of leave the career altogether. A lot of companies and supporting jobs should take more initiative in being more educated in the disparities in the career. Though to acknowledge those who take initiative to fill the gap. there are many accounts of women in high places on the interviewing board aiding fellow interviewee’s in the interview or even after.during the job to get a higher pay or overachieve.
This information will not only be helpful to companies but to deciding students who may not be aware and blindly eager to be in this career. It is very sad that it may discourage them or be a disappointment to hear.
To add a personal experience, im not even out of school yet and face the stereotypes when I’m the only black girl in a mechanical class or when I tell an interviewer of any for that matter what my major is, their face goes to a quick expression of shock to impressed followed with the overused phrase “wow that’s mostly a male dominated major”. Even before that my mother an engineer herself, dealt with becoming second-pick to get a raise or promotion to her other white/male colleagues even the ones she trained; she even had to check an interview for me one-time too. Sad to hear it but “being a woman in this business you have to work twice as hard and you can’t afford failure”, is the slogan.
This sounds great. You are interested in the problem of discrimination faced by women of color who are engineers. My one question is, since you are not yet an engineer, is it possible to discuss this issue as an aspiring engineer? Would you say that the discrimination is also true for women of color who are studying engineering? If not, then go ahead and discuss the problem for women of color in engineering in general.