Haines, Valerie  A.

Wallace, Jean  E.

English

University of Calgary Journal Hosting

The Alberta Journal of Educational Research Vol. XL1X, No. 4, Winter 2003,376-379 Research Notes Valerie A. Haines a n d Jean E. Wallace University of Calgary Gender-Role Attitudes, Perceptions of Engineering, and Beliefs About Women in Engineering "Having it A l l " : Are Male and Female Engineering Undergraduates Really So Different? T w o barr iers to w o m e n ' s p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n e n g i n e e r i n g that h a v e rece ived c o n -s iderable a t tent ion are stereotypes about w o m e n a n d w o m e n ' s w o r k a n d stereotypes about e n g i n e e r i n g . A s p r o d u c t s of g e n d e r e d s o c i a l i z a t i o n a n d role ass ignments , s tereotypes a b o u t w o m e n a n d w o m e n ' s w o r k instantiate the di f ferent expectat ions for w o m e n a n d m e n that are encapsula ted i n the b r e a d -w i n n e r i d e o l o g y : M e n w o r k for p a y i n the p u b l i c sphere, a n d w o m e n o c c u p y the p r i v a t e sphere of u n p a i d d o m e s t i c labor , e n g a g i n g i n c a r i n g a n d n u r t u r i n g of f a m i l y m e m b e r s a n d h o u s e w o r k . These gender roles a n d stereotypes are r e p r o d u c e d i n the c u l t u r e of e n g i n e e r i n g . D e s c r i p t i o n s of this cu l ture i n the a c a d e m i c a n d w o r k contexts d o c u m e n t h o w it m o d e l s the l i fe a n d w o r k pat-terns of " a n e n g i n e e r " o n m a l e engineers b y v a l u i n g attributes m o r e f requent ly h e l d b y m e n (e.g., compet i t iveness , technica l sel f -confidence) a n d d e v a l u i n g " w o m e n ' s w o r k " (e.g., c h i l d care, h o u s e w o r k ) ( D r y b u r g h , 1999; H a c k e r , 1981; K l e i n m a n n , 1998; M c l l w e e & R o b i n s o n , 1992). S o m e researchers suggest that w o m e n i n e n g i n e e r i n g h a v e o v e r c o m e these barr iers b y i n t e r n a l i z i n g at t i tudes that d e p a r t s ign i f i cant ly f r o m these stereotypes ( H a w k s & Spade , 1998; K o z i m o r - K i n g & Le icht , 1999). T h i s re-search pred ic t s that these w o m e n w i l l (a) h a v e n o n t r a d i t i o n a l gender-ro le at t i tudes , (b) reject the stereotype of e n g i n e e r i n g as m a s c u l i n e a n d , therefore, (c) b e l i e v e that w h e n it comes to careers a n d fami l ies , w o m e n i n e n g i n e e r i n g can " h a v e it a l l . " M a k i n g c o m p a r a b l e p r e d i c t i o n s for their m a l e counterparts is m o r e d i f f i c u l t b u t the w e i g h t of ev idence suggests that m e n w i l l h o l d m o r e t r a d i t i o n a l g e n d e r - r o l e at t i tudes , percept ions of e n g i n e e r i n g , a n d beliefs about w o m e n i n e n g i n e e r i n g " h a v i n g it a l l . " T h e o r e t i c a l a n d e m p i r i c a l a r g u m e n t s about cr i t i ca l mass a n d tokens (Kanter , 1977) suggest that these differences m a y be p a r t i c u l a r l y consequent ia l for w o m e n i n m a l e - d o m i n a t e d f ie lds l ike e n g i n e e r i n g . T h e i r n u m e r i c a l Valerie Haines is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology. Areas of research interest include gender differences in academic choices, history of sociology, and resource allocation through social networks. She can be reached at haines@ucalgary.ca. Jean E. Wallace is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology. Areas of research interest include gender differences in academic choices, professional training and work experiences, and work-family balance. 376 Gender-Role Attitudes ... Women in Engineering m i n o r i t y means that w o m e n c o n t i n u e to experience this interact ion context d i f f e r e n t l y t h a n m e n . M a n y s t i l l f i n d that they are the o n l y w o m a n i n labs, research teams, a n d s t u d y g r o u p s ( D r y b u r g h , 1999; M c l l w e e & R o b i n s o n , 1992). If k n o w i n g h o w to c o n f o r m to the cu l ture of e n g i n e e r i n g is as a d a p t i v e as this e t h n o g r a p h i c research suggests, then to the extent that male e n g i n e e r i n g s tudents s u p p o r t a cu l ture of e n g i n e e r i n g that is g e n d e r e d m a s c u l i n e , w e p r e d i c t that o v e r t i m e interact ions w i t h t h e m m a y p r o d u c e changes i n w o m e n ' s g e n d e r - r o l e at t i tudes, percept ions of eng ineer ing , a n d beliefs about w o m e n i n e n g i n e e r i n g " h a v i n g it a l l . " Method T o test o u r p r e d i c t i o n s w e use data f r o m a 1998 p r o p o r t i o n a t e s trat i f ied s a m p l e of e n g i n e e r i n g u n d e r g r a d u a t e s at a large, c o m m u t e r u n i v e r s i t y i n W e s t e r n C a n a d a . T h r e e cr i ter ia g u i d e d the select ion of classes: year, spec ia l i za t ion , a n d g e n d e r c o m p o s i t i o n . N i n e t y - f i v e percent of the 1,122 s u r v e y s that were a d -m i n i s t e r e d i n 18 classes w e r e c o m p l e t e d a n d of these 98% w e r e e l ig ib le for ana lys i s . Q u e s t i o n n a i r e s w e r e a n o n y m o u s a n d c o n f i d e n t i a l . M o s t quest ions w e r e c l o s e d - e n d e d , w i t h par t i c ipants c h e c k i n g off o r c i r c l i n g the response that best d e s c r i b e d t h e m . T h e measures of the var iables u s e d i n the analys is are presented i n T a b l e 1. Results P a n e l A of Tab le 1 s h o w s that c o m p a r e d w i t h their m a l e counterparts i n e n g i n e e r i n g , w o m e n h a v e m o r e n o n t r a d i t i o n a l gender-role att i tudes i n b o t h the f a m i l y a n d w o r k d o m a i n s a n d m o r e n o n t r a d i t i o n a l percept ions of en-g i n e e r i n g . T h e y also be l ieve m o r e s t r o n g l y t h a n m e n that w o m e n i n engineer-i n g c a n c o m b i n e careers a n d fami l ies to " h a v e it a l l . " These results p r o v i d e c o m p e l l i n g e v i d e n c e that m a l e a n d female e n g i n e e r i n g u n d e r g r a d u a t e s rea l ly are d i f ferent . P a n e l B of Tab le 1 tests o u r second set of pred ic t ions b y e x p l o r i n g h o w w o m e n ' s a t t i tudes d i f f e r b y cohort b y c o m p a r i n g w o m e n w h o are i n at least their f o u r t h year of e n g i n e e r i n g ( fourth year) a n d w o m e n w h o h a v e been i n e n g i n e e r i n g s c h o o l for less t h a n t w o m o n t h s (first year) . The one gender-role a t t i tude that di f ferent iates these w o m e n is p a r t i c u l a r l y ins t ruct ive . F o u r t h - y e a r w o m e n express s i g n i f i c a n t l y h i g h e r levels of agreement w i t h the t rad i t iona l b r e a d w i n n e r i d e o l o g y t h a n d o their f irst-year counterparts . O u r f i n d i n g for percept ions of e n g i n e e r i n g is also consistent w i t h o u r p r e d i c t i o n s about the consequences for w o m e n p a r t i c i p a t i n g i n a cu l ture of e n g i n e e r i n g that e m -phas izes h o w the l i fe a n d w o r k patterns of a n engineer are m o d e l e d o n t r a d i -t i o n a l g e n d e r roles i n the w o r k a n d f a m i l y d o m a i n s . O u r results for beliefs a b o u t w o m e n i n e n g i n e e r i n g " h a v i n g it a l l " d e p e n d o n the p a r t i c u l a r statement c o n s i d e r e d . There is n o di f ference i n levels of agreement w i t h the statement that w o m e n m a y h a v e b o t h a f a m i l y a n d e n g i n e e r i n g career. B u t w h e n asked a b o u t w o m e n c o m b i n i n g f a m i l y w i t h a top- leve l or a r e w a r d i n g career i n e n g i n e e r i n g , w o m e n i n f o u r t h year report s ign i f i cant ly l o w e r levels of agree-m e n t w i t h these t w o statements. A l t h o u g h o u r results m u s t be interpreted w i t h appropr ia te caut ion , they are consis tent w i t h o u r a r g u m e n t that m e n ' s gender-role att i tudes, percept ions of e n g i n e e r i n g a n d beliefs about w o m e n i n e n g i n e e r i n g " h a v i n g it a l l " m a y shape 377 Table 1Comparison of Female and Male Engineering Undergraduates' Gender Role Attitudes, Perceptions of Engineering,and Beliefs About Women in Engineering "Having it Air3.86>3.03" 3.70=3.93 2.91 =3.144.63 >3.96" 4.67=4.67 4.05=3.904.85 > 4.41" 4.88=4.93 4.47=4.324.75> 4.28" 4.72=4.79 4.34=4.244.61> 3.57" 4.42 <4.n" 3.62 =3.513.76>3.53" 3.44<4.23" 3.45 < 3.71"4.26> 3.79" 3.92 <4.55" 3.64=3.784.39> 3.91" 4.17 < 4.67" 3.83=3.924.04>3.55" 3.98=4.17 3.53 =3.56Panel A'WomenlIS. MenGender-Role AttitudettA working mother can establish Just as warm and secure a relationship with her children as a mother whodoes not work.Men should share the work around the house with women such as doing dishes, cleaning, and so forth.Men and women should be paid the same money If they do the same work.A woman should have exactly the same job opportunities as a man.It Is much better for everyone if the man Is the achiever outside the home and the womantakes care of the home and the family. (R)Perceptions of EngineerinrlEngineering education Is created for men, by men, and built on male attitudes and traditions. (R)Women in Engineering can -Have It AirWomen can expect to be able to have both a family and a top level career in engineering If they want to.It Is possible for women to have a satisfying family life and a rewarding engineering career.It Is not realistic to expect women to have a family and hold down an engineering career. (R)Note. For all Items higher scores reflect more nontraditional gender role attitudes. (R) indicates the Item Is reverse coded. " pc.05.lBased on comparisons of 239 women and 798 men engineering undergraduates.2Based on comparisons of 43 fourth-year and 82 first-year women engineering undergraduates.3t3ased on comparisons of 203 fourth-year and 211 first-year men engineering undergraduates.41tems adapted from Mason, Czajka, and Arber (1976).sttem adapted from Brandell (1996).PanelsZ4th lIS. 1stYear WomenPaneld4th lIS. 1stYear MenGender-Role Attitudes ... Women in Engineering those of the w o m e n w i t h w h o m they interact i n e n g i n e e r i n g schoo l . T h i s a r g u m e n t f i n d s a d d i t i o n a l s u p p o r t i n the lack of differences b e t w e e n f o u r t h -year a n d f i rs t -year m e n repor ted i n P a n e l C of Table 1. There is o n l y one stat is t ica l ly s ign i f i cant di f ference, a n d this dif ference reproduces one change w e f o u n d for w o m e n : L i k e their female counterparts , male students w i t h m o r e exper ience i n e n g i n e e r i n g express m o r e t r a d i t i o n a l , s tereotypica l v i e w s of en-g i n e e r i n g , a f i n d i n g that underscores pressures to c o n f o r m to the t r a d i t i o n a l c u l t u r e of d o i n g e n g i n e e r i n g . C o h o r t s tudies u s i n g l o n g i t u d i n a l data are neces-sary to c o n f i r m o u r results . Discussion A s a g r o u p , w o m e n enter e n g i n e e r i n g s c h o o l w i t h n o n t r a d i t i o n a l att i tudes (e.g., 8 1 % of the f i rs t -year w o m e n either s t rongly d i sagreed or d isagreed w i t h the s tereotype of e n g i n e e r i n g as m a s c u l i n e c o m p a r e d w i t h 49% of w o m e n i n f o u r t h year , 62% of m e n i n first year , a n d 50% of m e n i n f o u r t h year) . B u t i n their d a y - t o - d a y interact ions w i t h m e m b e r s of the n u m e r i c a l ma jor i ty , w o m e n c o n t i n u a l l y encounter t r a d i t i o n a l gender-speci f ic expectat ions that depar t s i g -n i f i c a n t l y f r o m their o w n m o r e ega l i ta r ian al ternat ives . T h e y r e s p o n d b y " d o i n g e n g i n e e r i n g " i n w a y s that r e p r o d u c e the v e r y stereotypes of w o m e n a n d e n g i n e e r i n g that h a v e been targeted b y attempts to increase the p a r t i c i p a -t i o n of w o m e n i n e n g i n e e r i n g . T h i s suggests that pol ic ies a n d p r o g r a m s target-i n g w o m e n m a y get t h e m in to e n g i n e e r i n g . B u t d e v e l o p i n g a n d i m p l e m e n t i n g pol i c ies a n d p r o g r a m s that target m e n m a y keep t h e m there b y c h a n g i n g the c u l t u r e of d o i n g e n g i n e e r i n g that c u r r e n t l y exc ludes m a n y w o m e n unless they c o n f o r m . Acknowledgments We would like to acknowledge our co-investigator M . Elizabeth Cannon, NSERC/Petro-Canada Chair for Women in Science and Engineering (Prairie Region). We also thank M . Ross Lein for his insightful comments. This research was funded by the Imperial Oil Charitable Foundation and supported by the Department of Sociology and the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Calgary and by a fellowship from The Calgary Institute for the Humanities awarded to Valerie A. Haines. References Brandell, G. (1996). Gender in engineering education. CASAT, 8, January 5-10. Dryburgh, H. (1999). Work hard, play hard. Women and professionalization in engineering—Adapting to the culture. Gender and Society, 13,664-682. Hacker, S.L. (1981). The culture of engineering: Women, workplace and machine. Women's Studies International Quarterly, 4,341-353. Hawks, B.K., & Spade, J.Z. (1998). Women and men engineering students: Anticipation of family and work roles. Journal of Engineering Education, 87,249-256. Kanter, R.M. (1977). Men and women of the corporation. New York: Basic Books. Kleinmann, S.S. (1998). Overview of feminist perspectives on the ideology of science. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 35,837-844. Kozimor-King, M . , & Leicht, K.T. (1999). Sources of convergence and divergence in attitudes about work and family roles among women. Research in the Sociology of Work, 7,85-106. Mason, K.O., Czajka, J.L., & Arber, S. (1976). Change in U.S. women's sex-role attitudes, 1964-1974. American Sociological Revieio, 41,573-596. Mcllwee, J.S., & Robinson, J.G. (1992). Women in engineering. Gender, power and workplace culture. Albany, NY: SUNY Press. 379 

Gender-Role Attitudes, Perceptions of Engineering, and Beliefs About Women in Engineering "Having it All": Are Male and Female Engineering Undergraduates Really So Different?

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Gender-Role Attitudes, Perceptions of Engineering, and Beliefs About Women in Engineering "Having it All": Are Male and Female Engineering Undergraduates Really So Different?

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