Women in engineering - Factors contributing to lack of female participation

Women have contributed to the diverse fields of engineering in modern and historical times. Women are often under-represented in the fields of engineering, both in academics and as a profession. A number of organizations and programs have been created to understand and overcome this tradition of gender disparity. Enrollment and graduation rates of women in post-secondary engineering programs is very important. Undergraduate degrees are acknowledged as the "latest point of standard entry into scientific fields. Countries such as the United States and Canada have more flexible entry requirements into post-secondary education, whereas countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia may demand that students study math, physics, and chemistry in high school. Of the four countries, the percentage of undergraduates completing an engineering degree was 18.5% female in Canada in 2004 and 19.3% in the United States in 2005-06.

 In comparison, the percentage of undergraduates completing an engineering degree in the United Kingdom was 9.5% female in 2005-06 and in Australia, the enrollment rate of women in engineering was 14.1%. There are disparities within the undergraduate engineering degree. Women are less likely to study mechanical, electrical, and aeronautical engineering than chemical or civil engineering. This may "reflect the popularity of environmental engineering among women. 

All explanations for women persisted difficultly are of two main kinds. One is about capital characteristics, another one is about gender difference. Stereotype threat includes gender identification, gender endorsement, engineering identification and gender ability perceptions. women in engineering experience difficulties related to the male-dominated aspects of engineering but women who persist are able to overcome these difficulties enabling them to find fulfilling and rewarding experiences in the engineering profession.