Engineering women: the `gendering' of professional identities

This paper presents some of the findings of a research project conducted in the year 2000 in the UK, investigating the under-representation of women in the engineering profession. Many of the conclusions revolve around the imagery and cultural stereotyping that affects the educational decisions made by girls and young women, and suggests that professions and curricular areas are `gendered' in a way that tacitly limits their career choices. Suggestions are made for initiatives that might combat this problem, suggesting in particular that images of female engineers should be prioritised in the context of industry public relations.