Gender engineering

PLATO, a gentleman noted more for his fondness for men than for women, wrote that there was no occupation concerned with the management of social affairs which belongs either to women or men. "Every occupation is open to both," he concluded.

Sadly, centuries later, there are still occupations in which this statement is almost as theoretical as it was in Plato's time. Women continue to be under represented in fields such as technology and engineering, both at third level and, as a consequence, in the industries in general.

The electronics industry is particularly bouyant at present. In 1995, almost 7,000 new jobs were created bin this sector, bringing the total number employed up to around 50,000. But women continue to be under represented, so much so that Eileen Goold, a lecturer in electronics in Tallaght RTC in Dublin has suggested the sector should be named "He-lectronics".

"The argument I am still trying to present is that the electronics sector is huge," says Goold. "It's so big and people are needed irrespective of gender. If women aren't entering the sector then you are cutting your number of potential graduates in half."

Last year, a survey of four large electronics companies in the State revealed that only 33 per cent of those employed at technician level were female. This decreased to 29 per cent at engineer level and at management level, only eight per cent of employees were women.

Large electronic companies are attempting to change this imbalance, in conjunction with the NOW project (New Opportunities for Women) and the Women in Electronics project, with which Tallaght RTC is heavily involved.

Intel, the computer chip giant offers opportunities to increase technical abilities and encourages women to apply for jobs within the company. Hardware firm Hewlett Packard involved in a diversity programme to encourage women, as well as older workers and the long term unemployed, to enter the industry.

But if more women are to be encouraged to take technical courses at third level and to enter the electronics profession, then a larger information campaign is necessary, targeting women from second level onwards.

There is probably a vicious circle effect at work in electronics, as well as in other traditionally male dominated industries such as engineering or elements of the food industry, since young women considering entering professions like electronics cc low rates of female employment and shy away from technical courses, further reducing the pool of qualified female employees.

In 1994, only 16 per cent of university technical graduates were women, although this figure rose to 20 per cent in 1995. In the RTCs, they constituted only 10 per cent of graduates. The situation is unlikely to get any better.

The provision of technical subjects in girls' secondary schools is low, although improved provisions in the areas of physics and honours maths have helped to ensure that a number of girls coming from secondary school to third level have the qualifications to take up technical courses.

For example, while women now constitute a higher proportion of new entrants to the sciences than men and therefore probably have the entry requirements for technological subjects, they choose not to enter them.

A 1990 study by Clancy and Brannick noted that gender differentiation in subjects studied reflects and contributes to a segregated labour market. They concluded that a reduction in gender differentiation at third level can only be achieved by a similar reduction at second level.

Among the factors found to influence subject choices were pupil's attitudes to subjects, the third level course aspired to, guidance counsellors and, particularly for girls, subject teachers. Career planning and advice, perhaps surprisingly, played a limited role, with local circumstances frequently a strong influence.

"Those women we have in our courses would have a relative involved in the industry, or there is influence at local, home or school level," says Eileen Goold.

There is still a perception of engineering and technological courses as male oriented.

A female engineer interviewed by Mary O'Donoghue of UL for a study of gender dynamics in career choice made the following comment: "Engineering is perceived to be a male area. People have the wrong idea about engineering, they see it as very physical and that girls won't be able to stick with it. It should be sold more, there should be more information available on it. Again, these types of images reinforce stereotypes.

In UL, 10 per cent of engineering students are female. "It's a very complicated sociological thing apart from trends in schools and stereotypes from women and so on," says Professor Eamonn McQuade, Dean of Engineering in UL. "That said, any women who end up in engineering through their own choice do very well."

In an effort to encourage greater participation by women in engineering, the College of Engineering has combined with the college's women's studies group to form WEB, Women in Engineering Bursaries, through which £500 is offered to be best female students entering engineering in all engineering departments.

Yet the perception of certain subjects as male oriented is difficult to change. Such a perception is also reinforced by a significant lack of role models for young women entering third level courses, both in industry and in the colleges themselves.

In 1994, of the 33 positions which make up senior management in the 11 RTC colleges, only one was held by a woman and only two, of the 100 heads of department were women.

Of the 2,000 academic staff within the DIT/RTC colleges, only 422 or 19 per cent were women. The female staff tended to be clustered at the bottom level of the academic staff career structure and were particularly evident in the areas of business, social sciences, catering and tourism - areas which traditionally have had a strong representation of women students. In DIT Bolton Street, female academics accounted for only five per cent of all lecturer staff.

In the end, those trying to promote greater participation by women in technological and similar courses at third level, and in the industries they supply, believe initiatives need to be co ordinated at local and departmental level.

While the Futures and Interventions projects have encouraged gender balance in science subjects, and have introduced science subjects into schools where they previously have not been provided, greater coordination and planning is necessary between the colleges and the Department of Education at third level.