Jailyn Cordoba

 

 

RESPONDENTS TO WOMAN ENGINEER MAGAZINE’S “24TH ANNUAL READER SURVEY,” WHEN ASKED TO GIVE ADVICE TO POTENTIAL EMPLOYERS, WEIGHED IN ON THE TRENDING TOPIC OF EQUAL PAY IN THE WORKPLACE. “PAY WOMEN EMPLOYEES THE SAME AS MALE EMPLOYEES,” WHILE NOT QUITE A RALLYING CRY, WAS MENTIONED REPEATEDLY.

 

ONCE AGAIN, HEALTH INSURANCE IS THE MOST DESIRED BENEFIT IN AN IDEAL WORK ENVIRONMENT, FOLLOWED BY A PENSION PLAN AND FAMILY FRIENDLY BENEFITS (WHICH TIED FOR SECOND). ALSO SOUGHT AFTER BY A LARGE NUMBER OF OUR READERS IS FLEXTIME. ROUNDING OUT THE TOP FIVE IS ACESS TO AN IN-HOUSE FORMAL MENTORING PROGRAM, WHICH PUSHED THE ABILITY TO TELECOMMUTE TO NUMBER SIX.

 

INQUIRING DEEPER INTO THE QUERY OF HOW IMPORTANT FAMILY-FRIENDLY BENEFITS ARE WHEN CONSIDERING A JOB, 53 PERCENT RESPONDED WITH A RESOUNDING“YES,” WHILE ANOTHER 27 PERCENT SAID THE BENEFIT IS “SLIGHTLY IMPORTANT.” ONLY 5 PERCENT THOUGHT THESE BENEFITS WEREN’T IMPERATIVE AT ALL.

 

A HOT TOPIC FOR WOMEN ENGINEERS IS WHETHER OR NOT THEY ARE BEING TREATED EQUALLY VS. THEIR MALE COUNTERPARTS. ON THE JOB, THE NUMBERS SHOW WOMEN ARE EXPERIENCING ALL SIDES OF GENDER EQUALITY, BOTH GOOD AND BAD. OF THIS YEAR’S RESPONDENTS, 38 PERCENT SAID THEIR EMPLOYERS “NEED IMPROVEMENT” WHEN IT COMES TO TREATING THEM EQUALLY, COMPARED WITH 43.2 PERCENT THE PRIOR YEAR, WHILE 24 PERCENT REPLIED THAT THEY ARE ONLY“SLIGHTLY” TREATED EQUALLY, COMPARED WITH 20.4 PERCENT LAST YEAR. WOMEN WHO REPORTED THEY’RE “VERY MUCH” TREATED EQUALLY” STAYED THE SAME FROM LAST YEAR’S AT 38 PERCENT.

 

OF THE 48 PERCENT OF RESPONDENTS REPORTING THEY WERE ACTIVELY PURSUING A NEW JOB, 27 PERCENT REVEALED THEY WERE WILLING TO LOOK OUTSIDE THE U.S. FOR NEW OPPORTUNITIES, A STRIKING UPTICK FROM LAST YEAR, WHEN ONLY 1.8 PERCENT WERE WILLING. A MAJORITY, AT 52 PERCENT, ARE NOT LOOKING FOR A NEW JOB.

 

IN THE SURVEY, FOUR-YEAR UNIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY-COLLEGE STUDENTS AND WOMEN PROFESSIONALS IN A PLETHORA OF CAREER DISCIPLINES FROM COAST-TO-COAST DETAIL THEIR GOALS AND ON-THE-JOB EXPERIENCES AT MAJOR ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCE EMPLOYERS AND LOCAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES.

 

TO COMPILE A ROSTER OF THE PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF OUR READERS, WOMAN ENGINEER MAGAZINE QUESTIONED UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS, ENTRY-LEVEL WORKERS, AND MANAGERS, SUPERVISORS, AND EXECUTIVES ABOUT THEIR AGE, GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION, AND FIELD OF STUDY OR CAREER DISCIPLINE.

 

IN WHAT HAS BECOME AN ANNUAL LISTING, WE ALSO ASKED RESPONDENTS TO NAME THE TOP THREE EMPLOYERS IN THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS FOR WHOM THEY WOULD MOST LIKE TO WORK OR THAT THEY BELIEVE WOULD PROVIDE A POSITIVE WORKING ENVIRONMENT FOR WOMEN ENGINEERS. WE ALSO ASKED THEM TO OFFER ADVICE TO EMPLOYERS WHO WANT TO HIRE WOMEN ENGINEERS AND FOR OTHER WOMEN ENGINEERING STUDENTS AND PROFESSIONALS.

 

WHO YOU ARE

Woman Engineer magazine readers from private-sector companies and government agencies, as well as colleges and universities, throughout the country received in the mail this year’s survey. Of the respondents, 27 percent were students, compared with 7.4 percent last year.

 

Geographically, the answers’ points of origin covered the country – with the Northeast accounting for 25 percent; the Southeast, 7 percent; West, 24 percent; Midwest, 27 percent; and Southwest, 7 percent.

 

Of the respondents who revealed their age, 19 percent fell in the 50 and older group; 35 percent were 36-50; 19 percent were 26-35 years old; and 27 percent were 18-25.

 

WHAT YOU DO

This survey is proof of the varied opportunities available to professional women engineers, as respondents are working in a host of engineering and related fields, including aerospace, electrical, petroleum, computer science, chemical, business, political science, space operations, science, structural, software, mathematics, manufacturing, mechanical, civil, optical, environmental, industrial, biomedical, biochemical, information technology, ceramic, nuclear, construction, and as university professors.

 

WHAT YOU THINK

Readers cited the following benefits as being essential to complete their career options in today’s competitive job market (in order of most cited):

 

For employers looking to hire more women engineers, respondents had a range of advice:

 

• “Watch over females to make sure others are not taking advantage.”

• “Make salaries transparent.”

• “Women are just as smart and skilled as male engineers.”

• “Be fair and pay women equally as men.”

• “Give us the benefit of the doubt, we are pretty good leaders.”

• “Women sometimes observe what men overlook.”

• “Do a better job at understanding diversity.”

 

For students and fellow women engineer professionals, our respondents gendered this advice:

•“Keep pushing through, education is something that can never be taken away from you.”

•“Don’t be afraid to do something, the power you have comes from the power you take.”

•“Don’t ever back down from a challenge and work hard.”

•“Stand up for yourself and don’t be afraid to take charge.”

•“Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something because you’re a woman.”

•“Forget about who you are and concentrate on what you do.”

•“Keep developing and enriching your professional skills.”