SWE - Winter 2008 - (Page 24)

THIRD IN A SERIES The Society of Women Engineers National Survey about Engineering Why do women leave the engineering work force? BY LISA M. FREHILL, PH.D., COMMISSION ON PROFESSIONALS IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY I n previous articles, we showed that women were more likely to leave engineering after completing their bachelor’s degrees. Here we will look at what the SWE Retention Study data tell us about the reasons women give for leaving engineering compared to those that men state. Are women more likely to leave due to negative work climates and family issues than men, as many people claim? While we investigate the answers to these questions, we also look at what kinds of jobs are held by women and men who have left engineering. Again, the study defines this group as those whose first bachelor’s degree is in engineering, but who are not currently employed in engineering. We know that the type of family issues workers face relates to one’s age. In addition, variations in the larger economy at the time a young engineer enters the work force can impact the likelihood of starting in an engineering job after college. During the 1980s, the U.S. economy was in recession — some even claim that it was a depression — which meant that many people who had earned bachelor’s degrees had difficulty obtaining employment. With these considerations in mind, this article not only compares men and women, but it also looks at how experiences for respondents in different age groups are similar or different. The first graph shows responses, separated by gender, to a question that was asked of anyone who was not working as an engineer. Survey respondents were given a list of six reasons, shown in the graph, and asked to select the one that best described why they were not employed in engineering. About 40 percent of men, but just 15 percent of women, indicated that there were better opportunities or salaries in other fields. Women were much more likely than men to indicate that there was “more interesting work in another field.” Nearly half (47 percent) of women but just 33 percent of men indicated this as the best reason they were not working in engineering. Women were also slightly more likely to report that they could not find an appropriate job and a bit more likely to say that they left for a more family-friendly environment than were their male counterparts. As indicated by the light yellow and magenta slices, about 40 percent of men and 15 percent of women left engineering for better opportunities or salaries in other fields. Nearly half of the women and about one-third of the men left because work in another field was more interesting, as shown by the aqua slices. Which of the following reasons best describes why you are not employed in the engineering field? 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 34 Better salary in another field 69 More interesting w ork in another field 28 6 4 19 4 17 More comfortable w ork environment Other 71 More family-friendly w ork environment Graduate groups: There are three graduate cohort groups we will examine: 1985 – 1992, 1993 – 2000, and 2001 – 2005. These groupings match different economic periods in recent U.S. history. The first saw an economic downturn during the Reagan and Bush administrations. The second period (19932000) corresponds to the Clinton presidency in which there was an economic expansion but substantial reorganization and consolidation among major employers of engineers, which impacted mid-career engineers. The final period captures those who graduated in the “post-dotcom” crash period (the dot-com boom period ended in about 2001). This group includes recent engineering graduates who, according to employers, are in high demand once again. 24 SWE WINTER 2008 30% 20% 10% 21 51 6 14 17 Better opportunities for advancement in another field Can't find appropriate job 0% Male (n=215) Female (n=146) The next chart breaks out this information by the three graduation groups, mentioned earlier. Of the more recent graduates — those who had earned their first bachelor’s degrees in engineering between 2001 and 2005 — about 30 percent of both women and men who were not engineers reported that they could not find an appropriate job. Most women not working in engineering in this group, though, said they had found “more interesting work in another field.” A fairly small number of respondents across

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

SWE - Winter 2008 Heritage Club President’s Note View from the Executive Suite Editor’s Page Readers’ Forum EWeek 2008 New Faces of Engineering The Leaky Science and Engineering Pipeline Why Do Women Leave the Engineering Work Force? A Greener America = New Growth Fields for Engineers The Off-On Ramp Revolution Recognizing the Historic Contributions of African-Americans Membership Information & Calendar A&B Women in Tune with Technology: SWE 2007 Conference Overview Keynote Address Achievement Award Region, Section, and Collegiate Awards SME Bowl and SWE Anniversaries Engineering World: Point of View: Why I Blog Career Toolbox Book Review SWE Smiles Opportunity Index SWE Scrapbook

SWE - Winter 2008

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