A Grounded Theory Approach to Uncovering the Process of How Sustainability Topics Influence Women Engineers’ Career Choice and Engagement

Abstract

Despite the growing demand for more engineers associated with the profession’s relevance in addressing the world’s most challenging sustainability problems, more young girls are choosing other career paths with similar relevance such as healthcare, compared to engineering. This scenario has been attributed to their lack of understanding of engineering roles in addressing such issues and thus indicates the relevance of research that not only provides such understanding, but also shows how women engineers’ career choice is influenced by sustainability topics. Previous research has only identified such topics that appeal to women’s attraction to engineering. However, knowledge about how this decision is reached is currently lacking. Consequently, this paper aims to uncover the process of how sustainability topics influence women’s choice of engineering using a grounded theory approach to collect and analyse the data. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 women engineers who were purposively and theoretically sampled. The results show that the link between sustainability topics and women’s choice and engagement in engineering is largely manifested through four primary interrelated factors: exposure, awareness, interest and direct involvement (EAID). The study outcome is a novel EAID process model indicating that women’s interest and direct involvement in engineering could be influenced through two main routes—either by creating exposure or by awareness of engineering roles that cause or address sustainability challenges. It offers practical implications for engineering institutions, which could inform strategies for recruiting and attracting more women to engineering, and possibly enhance gender diversity and sustainability practices in the profession.

Towards the SDGs for gender equality and decent work: investigating major challenges faced by Brazilian women in STEM careers with international experience

“…Based on their professional experience in STEM organizations, the participants claim that the evasion of women from STEM careers in Brazil is greater than elsewhere, but that the main reason for this remains motherhood, with women slowing down their careers even before becoming mothers, when they are still planning to have children [4,51]. Other critical factors mentioned for women leaving STEM careers included: precarious infrastructure, particularly in manufacturing sites; gender culture based on traditional models; few examples of women in STEM professions; lack of flexibility at work; prejudices and discrimination in the workplace; unwelcoming environment; slower-than-usual career growth; and lack of recognition.…”

“…In addition, the rapid evolution of technology and pressing challenges of sustainable development have also contributed to attracting and retaining more women in STEM [1,28,38]. Innovation necessitates mixed environments with a plurality of ideas, as a lack of diversity within work teams biases choices, preventing the creation of a modern, sustainable space [4,70]. The most innovative and forward-thinking organizations have already recognized the importance of having women in STEM and diversifying work environments [71,72].…”

“…Despite positive changes in the global landscape in terms of greater gender diversity in the business world in general, women continue to be underrepresented when it comes to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) companies [1,2], which reflects the low female representation in university STEM programs [3,4]. These issues have received increasing attention from academia and companies, since STEM professionals play a critical role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) [5,6] and impacting global sustainability [7][8][9].…”