Even if you’re not an engineer, even if you don’t even work in a science/tech field, you’ve probably seen or heard the news stories about us struggling women in engineering, trying to make it in our predominantly-male field. If that’s the case, you may have formed an opinion on what our lives must be like: working hard and never getting recognised, being skipped over for promotions, being alienated because we may wear mascara and nail polish. Or maybe you think we’re complaining too much, because you don’t see the discrimination in your own line of work, so surely it can’t be that bad in ours?
There are many women out there, likely who are less stubborn that I am, who are reading these articles that focus so much on the negativity that surrounds women in engineering. It may seem just too hard to pursue and find success in a career in our field, even if you are really great at math and science. I’ve read countless articles about women in engineering, or the discrimination against women in C-suite leadership roles, because this is where I see myself in the future. But I’ve never really read anything written by another woman in engineering, beyond a quote or two in an article. I’ve never really heard it told by someone on the inside.
So I want to tell my story and share what my experience has been, because it’s a much more complex dynamic than what’s portrayed in the media. And frankly, it’s so much more positive and challenging (the good kind of challenge, the one engineers love!) than these articles let on.
Most of the articles that get big viewership these days focus on women in tech, or women in software engineering roles. But the thing about engineering is that there are so many possibilities for what you can do, and where you can work. You can specialise in mining engineering, chemical, electrical, process, aeronautics, marine, hydraulic, environmental, biomedical, and my specialty, mechanical engineering, just to name a few! There’s so much more to the story, and I think the spotlight is highlighting not only just the negatives, but the negatives of only one type of engineering. I feel like we may be failing to get the message out about what engineers actually do, and we’re failing at inspiring girls to want to enter our field because we’re telling them it might not be worth it.
But engineering is not an easy thing to define, and I do still struggle when I’m asked by someone what I do for a living. The short answer, “I’m a mechanical engineer” is usually met with a “wow, so you must be really smart”, end of conversation (flattering, but not informative). Ask most people what they think an engineer does and you’ll get a blank look. And hey, that’s understandable. I couldn’t tell you what an engineer actually did, even after I finished my first year of university! I knew what I was learning, but I couldn’t sum up what engineers do in one neatly packaged sentence.
While it is really difficult to summarise our profession in succinct words, I’m happy to say I’ve found a way to explain what it is all of us engineers do so well, despite working in such vastly differing fields: engineers solve problems. We find a way, or find a better, faster, more efficient way, to get things done. We’re obsessed with rising to challenges, with improving things, with making life easier for everyone around us. And this passion, this determination, to figure out a way to do things that seem impossible, it’s not something that you’re better at if you’re a man versus a woman. And contrary to what the articles are telling you, there are a lot of people in our profession who already recognise this.
I’m not saying the bias doesn’t exist. I’m also not saying I’ve never been on the receiving end of a sexist comment, whether intended or not. Being the visible and well-discussed minority in a male-dominated career field is a bit like living your life in a fishbowl, one where all the other fish are blue and you’re bright pink. People take notice of you right away, and sometimes no matter how hard you try to blend in, you know that you don’t. And even though I do my best to never use my gender as an adjective for anything I do in my career, there are times when I just can’t ignore the fact that I’m obviously different from everyone else, and have different battles to fight.
For example, when working on a new manufacturing site, I noticed some maintenance workers struggling to have enough hands to put a conveyor belt back together. I lent a hand, and held a piece in place for one of them. Another jokingly said to the first man “Should we get the little girl to help you from now on?”. Or in university, when I beat out a classmate for an internship we were both vying for. I came to school the next day to hear gossip and field queries about my ‘low cut shirt’ and the shorts I allegedly wore to the interview (which were in actuality tailored capri pants, a button up shirt, a blazer and heels. Standard interview attire). Because it couldn’t possibly have been the fact that I’d held three other relevant internship roles previously, or that I aced the interview. Obviously my physical attributes got me the job; that was surely the only viable explanation.
Those things hurt. They’re a reminder that, even when you don’t use your gender to define yourself, others do. But focusing on other peoples’ insecurities isn’t going to get you that role in senior management, it’s only going to hold you back. Instead, keeping your head down and proving them wrong, showing them you are a smart and capable engineer (a word that has no gender, because it doesn’t need to) will get us ahead. It will break down the silly stereotype that math and science are the intellectual equivalent of weight lifting: that no matter how hard women try, we can only ever hope to have ‘muscles’ like the men. That’s gotta go.
But there’s a bright side to all of this. For every naysayer I’ve encountered in my career, there are 2 people wanting to help me succeed because they want to promote equality in our field. And there are 10 people who are indifferent, they don’t care if I have a ponytail and wear a skirt, they just want the best person for the job and that happens to be me. Promoting women in engineering isn’t about getting less-smart girls into our profession just to have gender parity. It’s about showing us problem-solvers that we have a place, and that we have so much to contribute to make the world better, whether it’s at Google, NASA, or Kraft Foods.
I wish I could write an article about all of the incredible leaders I’ve worked with in my short career, the ones who’ve guided and mentored me to where I am today. These are the real stars of engineering, the ones who want to make our world, and the world, better by including the best people with the best brains. I might not have grown up building my own go-kart or understanding how to balance the pH of the family swimming pool, but it doesn’t mean I didn’t grow up with a passion for figuring out how things work and improving the way things are done.
And hey, for the record, did you know that engineers don’t always have to deal with motor oil or software code either? Nearly everything we use in life, like nail polish formulations, KitchenAid blenders, or outdoor and athletic clothing, all of it involves engineers (and who wouldn’t want to work at Lululemon!?). It’s not as much of a man’s world as the media would lead you to believe.
But even if you, like me, do find your engineering-self working on a construction site, it doesn’t matter. You don’t need to be an expert, you just need to be open to learning. And that goes for any engineer, in any role. The world will never stop changing, new problems will always pop up, and companies always want a faster, cheaper, smarter, more environmentally-friendly way to solve them. If that sounds like something you’re interested in, I bet you’d make a great engineer.
Sure, there are people with opinions about whether or not you as the minority fit in or belong. But it’s not a battle that hasn’t been fought before. Ask any immigrant moving to a new country, or any religious, ethnic, or other type of minority who’s ever had to overcome adversity. The journey may not always be a walk in the park, but if it’s something you’re passionate about, it just makes it all the more worthwhile. If someone tells you that you can’t be an Air Force pilot because you’re sight’s not great? That’s legit. But someone telling you that you can’t solve a problem because you’re a girl? It’s so laughable that it’s not even worth dwelling on.
So, you ask, what it is actually like being a woman in engineering?
It’s exciting, it’s challenging, and it’s so damn rewarding. Rewarding to go home at the end of the day feeling like you make an impact. It’s rewarding to feel like you’ve improved the world in some way, no matter how small. It’s even rewarding to know that when you fail, you’ve learned about how not to do it for next time. But most of all, in this day and age, it’s indescribable to be part of this movement toward a more diverse engineering world; to help break down peoples’ internal biases and show them that an engineer doesn’t have a certain look. And frankly, outsmarting the ignorant folk who assume I’m the engineer’s secretary because I look like, well, me… that’s definitely a perk too.
Images via Ohh Couture, Ketchem Bunnies, Damsel in Dior
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