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Women in Engineering: Almost No Gap at University but a Long Way to Go for Sustaining Careers

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  • Eunju Jung

    (Graduate School of Education, Sejong University, 209 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05006, Korea)

  • Ja Young Eunice Kim

    (Department of Architecture, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Korea)

Abstract

Engineering is one of the career fields where women’s underrepresentation has been tenacious. In Korea, the government has made continuous efforts in the last decades to make a difference, yet the rate of women who pursue an engineering career pathway is still low. In this study, we analyzed 415 survey responses at a large private university in Korea to fulfill the aims of the current study: (1) to examine the gender difference on the 11 major- and career-related variables using t -test, (2) to test the adjusted social cognitive career theory (SCCT) model for the engineering undergraduate students’ intention to pursue an engineering career using path analysis. The independent t -test results revealed that the gender differences were found not in any major-related variable, but in three career-related variables, indicating the female students perceived their future career less vested than the male students. The path analysis results indicated that the adjusted SCCT model fitted to the data well and the relations among the variables were generally in the expected way with some exceptions. The highlighted implication is that removing systematic barriers and gender stereotype threats is as important as providing supports for gender equity in pursuing an engineering career.

Suggested Citation

  • Eunju Jung & Ja Young Eunice Kim, 2020. "Women in Engineering: Almost No Gap at University but a Long Way to Go for Sustaining Careers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-20, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:20:p:8299-:d:425320
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gerhard Sonnert & Mary Frank Fox & Kristen Adkins, 2007. "Undergraduate Women in Science and Engineering: Effects of Faculty, Fields, and Institutions Over Time," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 88(5), pages 1333-1356, December.
    2. Baron, James N & Burton, M Diane & Hannan, Michael T, 1999. "Engineering Bureaucracy: The Genesis of Formal Policies, Positions, and Structures in High-Technology Firms," The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, Oxford University Press, vol. 15(1), pages 1-41, April.
    3. M. Teresa Cardador, 2017. "Promoted Up But Also Out? The Unintended Consequences of Increasing Women’s Representation in Managerial Roles in Engineering," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 28(4), pages 597-617, August.
    4. Tang, Joyce, 1997. "The glass ceiling in science and engineering," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 26(4), pages 383-406.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Maura A. E. Pilotti, 2021. "What Lies beneath Sustainable Education? Predicting and Tackling Gender Differences in STEM Academic Success," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-15, February.

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