Female engineers might not reach leadership roles because of “biological differences”. They are "gregarious and agreeable" rather than assertive – maybe that's why they have a “harder time” asking for salary increases, speaking up and leading.
These were some of the points raised in a now-notorious memo circulated amongst Google colleagues by the since-fired software engineer James Damore. In the 10-page document, Damore claimed positive discrimination for equal representation is “unfair, divisive, and bad for business”.
Men and women are biologically different, he said, with differences amounting to more than just social constructions. Women, therefore, are less suited for technology-centric roles and should not be boosted into them by positive discrimination, he claimed.
A recent report from IMechE found women in the UK engineering sector face similar attitudes. The “prevailing narrative” is very masculine, said lead author Peter Finegold to Professional Engineering.
Female engineers are regularly mocked, told to “toughen up” and assumed to be administrative staff, the report found, with 63% saying they experienced unacceptable behaviour or comments – as much as three-times that in finance or medicine.
Surveyed women reported inappropriate behaviour, such as male staff scoring female colleagues for sexual attractiveness and hanging porn around work sites. Statistics also revealed that the tiny percentage of female engineers – 9% of the workforce – was restricted before careers even began, with half leaving the profession after completing degrees.
Widespread cultural beliefs
The Google saga and IMechE report show women in engineering still face significant cultural, behavioural and professional barriers, said Sarah Peers, vice president of the Women’s Engineering Society.
“Our view is that there is no area of engineering, technology or science that women are not ‘suited’ for, and the UK is so poor at attracting, retaining and progressing women in engineering, which is not only bad for women but bad for business, innovation and society,” she said to Professional Engineering.
There is a widespread cultural belief that men are more scientific and better leaders than women, she said, something highlighted in a study by sociologist Caroll Seron at the University of California.
Professor Seron and three other professors asked students on four engineering courses in the US to write diaries of everyday experiences. Although the women would not vocally report sexism to staff, many described gender stereotyping and sex segregation, with female engineers often expected to be secretaries while men led projects.
The study showed women face resistance because of widely-shared, often unconscious views, said Peers. Middle managers must be educated on the benefits of diversity and inclusion, she said, to support women and encourage more co-operative working environments.
“Universities, schools and companies can actually work quite hard to… control some of those issues because we miss out on talent when we do that, when we push people into pigeon holes,” she said. “It won’t just affect women, it will affect ethnic minorities, people who look different.”
Positive action
The UK’s tiny proportion of female engineers – the lowest in Europe and far less than Latvia, Bulgaria and Cyprus, each with nearly 30% – is a “major source of concern”, said Hayaatun Sillem, deputy CEO of the Royal Academy of Engineering. The academy is preparing new research on inclusion for publication, said Sillem to PE, to help “identify what more can be done to solve the problems and accelerate the rate of progress.”
The recent IMechE report gave five recommendations for the engineering community, including setting quality benchmarks for keeping female engineers in their early-to-mid careers, and identifying “flashpoints” – such as returning to work after maternity leave, when two-thirds currently leave – where new strategies are needed. Other recommendations are for annual surveys of employees, a UK-wide study of engineering undergraduates and more resources for careers education.
If positive action is taken there is a bright future for female engineers and the sector as a whole, said Finegold to PE.
“There is nothing to say that women can’t be as talented in engineering as men,” added Peers. “There are no limits to what women can do other than the limits that are imposed by employers, society generally and education.”