Girl Power

Gendered Academic and Workplace Experiences of College Women in Engineering

Bibliographic Data

ID5936766
AuthorsKathleen N Smith (0000-0001-5150-5090, North Carolina State University, corresponding author), J G Gayles (0000-0002-4793-1182, North Carolina State University)
Year2018
Volume7
Issue1
Pages11
Publication date2018-01-10
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocial Sciences (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2076-0760 • E-ISSN: 2076-0760
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/socsci7010011
OpenAlexW2783887395
LanguageEN
Citations received23
References cited62

Women in engineering continue to experience bias in the field. This constructivist case study uses feminist theory to examine the gendered experiences of graduating senior women engineering students in academic and workplace environments. In each setting we identified three subthemes; in academia: "I don't think my education is any different," "Being underestimated constantly," and "You don't want to be seen as getting advantages"; in the workplace: "Oh, you're a girl," "There's a lot of sexism," and Benefits of "girl power." Overall, findings indicate that women experience bias in both settings, often via implicit bias in academia and with instances of implicit bias, sexism, and sexual harassment occurring even more often in the workplace through internship experiences. The article concludes with suggestions for practice, future research, and strategies to create supportive academic and workplace experiences and environments for women engineers

Developmental psychology · Feminism · Feminist theory · Gender bias · Girl · Harassment · Implicit bias · Internship · Medical education · Pedagogy · Power (physics · Sociology · Career Development and Diversity · Gender Diversity and Inequality · Gender Studies · Medicine · Mentoring and Academic Development · Psychology · Social Psychology