SWE - Fall 2008 - (Page 30)

All Other Engineering 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 2000-2005 1995-1999 1990-1994 1985-1989 Males Females treated equitably in their workplaces. Men in jobs that were related to their engineering training — generally managers of engineers — tended to be more likely to report that things were not always equitable with respect to gender in their workplaces. This is not a big surprise because as engineering managers, they may be likely to hear of instances of inequity, especially if their own employees may have a particular complaint. In conclusion, when looking at women’s and men’s retention in engineering, it is important to keep in mind differences between disciplines. Generally speaking, over time both men and women leave engineering — often at fairly comparable rates — but the difference in patterns between men and women suggests larger labor market issues unique to various engineering fields need to be explored. For example, the industries that tended to employ large numbers of chemical engineers underwent major transformations throughout the 1990s, with concurrent unstable labor conditions. On the other hand, infrastructure projects nationwide provided more stable work for civil engineers with the 1990s building boom. These disciplinary and engineering work status differences are also important to bear in mind when understanding the subjective assessments of equity in workplaces. I Funding for this study was generously provided by SWE’s Corporate Partnership Council. Lisa M. Frehill, Ph.D., is the executive director of the Commission on Professionals in Science and Technology. Prior to joining CPST, she was an associate professor of sociology at New Mexico State University where she was the principal investigator and program director of that institution’s ADVANCE program. In a prior life, she was an industrial engineer at General Motors. 30 SWE FALL 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of SWE - Fall 2008

SWE - Fall 2008 Heritage Club Contents Farewell Message from FY08 President Michelle Tortolani Congratulations SWE Magazine A Conversation with FY09 President Virginia Connolly, P.E. Introducing the FY09 Board of Directors View from the Executive Suite Editor's Page Public Policy Update SWE Retention Study, Part 6 Membership Information & Calendar A&B SWE Member Kristina Johnson First Woman to Receive John Fritz Medal University Labs Fuel a New Era in Energy Women Engineering Leaders in Academe 2008 Opening the Gateways to Engineering Your Collegiate Section History is Waiting to Be Discovered Honoring the Legacy of Ada Pressman, P.E. Report from WEPAN Engineering World Proposed Bylaws Amendments Point of View Correction Career Toolbox Corporate Partnership Council Book Review SWE Smiles In Memory Opportunity Index SWE Scrapbook

SWE - Fall 2008

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