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Why Do So Many Women Who Study Engineering Leave the Field? (hbr.org)
2 points by nathan_long on Aug 25, 2016 | hide | past | favorite | 3 comments


"Women make up 20% of engineering graduates, but it’s been estimated that nearly 40% of women who earn engineering degrees either quit or never enter the profession...

When working with male classmates, for example, they often spoke of being relegated to doing routine managerial and secretarial jobs, and of being excluded from the “real” engineering work...

This second round of gender stereotyping in the workplace, coupled with unchallenging projects, blatant sexual harassment, and greater isolation from supportive networks, leads many female students to revisit their ambitions. Women begin to question whether engineering is what they really want to do."


Evidence that diversity on a team means better ideas and outcomes: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-diversity-make...


I strongly recommend that people think about workplace diversity when considering job offers. Explicitly ask about during recruitment phases and think seriously about passing on roles where the teams are dominated by young white males.

I'm currently in a dev team 60:40 females:males and with a good mix of skills/ages/cultures and it's really great.




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