Gender Inequalities in Engineering Essay Example
Gender Inequalities in Engineering Essay Example

Gender Inequalities in Engineering Essay Example

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  • Pages: 3 (637 words)
  • Published: April 21, 2022
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Engineering field has been facing a wave of gender inequalities in most countries across the globe. Many people tend to believe that the field is only fit for men and that women do not qualify to work in the field. Men, on one hand, feel that they do not have the equal capacity with the ladies when it comes to matters of engineering. This stereotype resulted in women feeling to be out of place, and majority tends to quit from engineering courses. However, the extent of gender inequalities is different among countries. This essay will compare the issue of disparities in the United States of America and other nations in the world.

In America, the number of male students pursuing engineering courses is higher than that of women (Seymour 457). Many of the female students tend to drop out along the way,

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before completing the course. They associate their quitting to some issues, such as disrespect from their male counterparts, and diminishing confidence in their ability to pursue the course to the end. The situation is contrary in India, where female engineering students appear to have much confidence in their capacity to handle the course. In this case, they graduate in higher numbers than the male students do.

Female students in the United States believe that pursuing an engineering course is similar to have a female doing work that is designed for a male counterpart (Brainard, et al. 384). This perception is a major hindrance to their ability to handle the course because it makes them believe that even after completion; there is no job for them. For this reason, a majority of them decide to chang

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paths along the academic journey in the university. On the other hand, their counterparts in India consider engineering as a course like any other, and that pays very well. The perception makes them have the urge to make it to the end, with high hopes of getting good jobs in the labor market. The assurance of getting a job provides them with the motivation necessary to push on, despite the possible hindrances.

In the United States, it becomes difficult for women, in general, to secure employment opportunities as compared to men (Amartya 74). The problem of the disparity in the job market affects all sectors, including engineering. Men have better chances of getting well-paying jobs compared to women, and that happens to be a demotivating factor for women to handle higher education. In India, the case is different. Both male and female students stand equal chances of getting employment in all fields, including engineering if one qualifies to get the job.

From the above analysis, it is evident the United States of America still faces challenges in achieving equality in gender. Males enjoy comparative advantages in many areas compared to women, ranging from higher education to job opportunities, as well as salary disparities (Seymour 86). This inequality affects women and makes them feel out of place, which explains the reason behind the low number of female students handling courses related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. They fail to pursue them because they feel out of place and that they do not fit to work in areas designed for men. They are yet to fight this stereotype. Males dominate almost every part, and they have no respect

for equality with women in any area.

Work Cited

  1. Seymour, Elaine. “The Loss of Women from Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Undergraduate Majors: An Explanatory Account.”
  2. Science Education Vol. 79 Issue 4 (1995): 437-473.
  3. Brainard, Suzanne G. and Carlin, Linda. “A Six-Year Longitudinal Study of Undergraduate Women in Engineering and Science.”
  4. Journal of Engineering Education, Vol. 87, No 4 (1998) 369-375.
  5. Amartya Sen, 2001. “The Many Faces of Gender Inequality” The New Republic (2001)
  6. Seymour, 2002. Seymour, Elaine. “Tracking the Processes of Change in US Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology.” Science Education Vol. 79 (2002): 79-104.
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