Female Graduates in Mechanical Engineering: An Exploratory Approach

Abstract

Based on quantitative data, interviews and literature on gender, science & technology, and the sociology of education and work, the text addresses the shortage of women as students and professors in the Mechanical Engineering program at a higher education institution in Northeastern Brazil. Six female students who entered the program in 2012 are monitored, up to the present. The analysis of their trajectories, obstacles, and personal and professional perspectives illustrates how the gender filter operates in the area of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. It indicates the challenges of including a gender perspective to achieve gender parity in higher education and the labor market.