The engineering industry is being influenced to become more attractive as a field of study to females, with hopes that the male dominated industry might look more equal in the near future.
ExxonMobil – the world’s largest publicly traded international oil and gas company – is at the helm of this movement, establishing the Girls Engineering Festival that took place in the Independent School Districts of Conroe, Magnolia and Spring in the United States on the 23rd of February. According to an article written by The Courier of Montgomery County, females only make up 14% of the engineering work force.
ExxonMobil set up teams of female engineers who were able to relay their knowledge to the girls who had attended the festival, to encourage them to consider engineering as a career path. Rick Frankie – an employee of a non-profit organization (Junior Achievement) championing the cause of female engineers – said, “Years ago they said women needed to stay in the house and raise the family; well, that’s not true. You set the example and you have the opportunity.”
HeraldScotland is reporting that Scottish Universities and colleges will be implementing quotas to address the gender imbalance – with specific focus on engineering – ensuring that only 75% of students within a course can lean towards one gender. Online engineering institutions in the tertiary sector are also reporting that 90% of its applicants for the first two months of 2016 were male. The demand for female engineers is growing so rapidly that female-only courses are being considered to lure women into the engineering industry.
