Effect of women in engineering programs on the retention of female engineering students

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of Women in Engineering (WIE) Programs that were developed to improve the retention and employment rate of female students in engineering. 207 female engineering students were surveyed for psychological correlates of career development in engineering and for self-evaluation of competency in various hard and soft skills. The level of psychological correlates, occupational competency and employment rate of female engineering graduates from 2007 through 2011 were analyzed as a function of program participation. The results showed that the WIE programs not only improved the employment ratio, but also improved psychological correlates, such as self efficacy, initiative, and willingness to challenge. Female students, in general, have a high level of aspiration for engineering careers, but have a relatively low employment self efficacy. However, the group of students who participated in various WIE programs showed a higher employment self efficacy as well as a higher employment rate than the group who did not participate. © 2012 ASEE.All right reserved.