Women in Engineering and Architecture

Obviously, in the historically and traditionally male dominated field of engineering and architecture, female are highly suppressed in different ways and manner. 2017 surveys indicates 11% of the engineering workforce was female -which was a positive change from the 9% in 2015.It’s true that although nearly half of the total world’s population has been occupied by female, only 11 percentage of the total engineers and architects there are female. Some intellectuals say that- in fact it’s the case of doing something great or case of doing something creative or innovative things and raise the question mark in the ability and intelligence of women. But in my point of view, it’s not an ability issue. Actually this is not only the case of engineering but in case of each and every aspect of the development there is minority involvement of women or we can say no involvement of women. A big question mark arises here. Why is the less women involvement existing in this sector of technology and development?

 To those people who arise a big question of ability I want to remind them the life of renown scientist Madam Curie. It’s true that actually she didn’t had lack of ability to explore science, physics and chemistry. But she didn’t get platform to explore her talent in her own motherland, Poland. She was highly discouraged and rejected to get admission in the university of Poland because she was a woman. In fact, she was highly disappointed. Then, she was compelled to leave her motherland Poland simply because she was a woman and she wanted to continue her study. Really what a critical and melancholic situation was created. She went to France and she completed her study. She became first person in the world to win Nobel Prize in both Physics and Chemistry and first woman in the world to win Nobel Prize in Physics. While looking towards this scenario, we can easily assume that in this male dominated society, women are highly discouraged in doing some innovative and creative things. They are highly enslaved in their household activities or other superstitious beliefs in this patriarchal society.  Gender bias is the first and foremost problem that must be eradicated from the society because it is existing either knowingly or unknowingly in this so called well civilized society. Either it’s the case of underdeveloped or developing or highly developed country the situation of women is worst in this male dominating world. That is why, I don’t understand knowingly or unknowingly how women are entangled in this society not to get encouraged in the field of science, technology and engineering. In fact, there is no lack of ability or interest but gender stereotype is playing major role to highly discourage women in such sectors of development.

In contrary to this, some might say women are coming up now. Women aren’t weak now. They are strong. But what I think about people saying so that- more than half of the population are female and they are just rising is not a solution. Just I gave the example of Madam Curie saying how a woman was rejected to get admitted in the university- of her own country, Poland and her further struggle to continue her study in France and her final success to win Nobel Prize twice. At least she got opportunity to some extent to struggle herself. There are many women in the world who never got opportunity either due to economically deteriorated situation or due to the rules and regulations that are made by men and that gives importance to men either directly or indirectly. Finally, those women are compelled to live their miserable life full of dissatisfaction, frustration and depression. They are never encouraged rather they are further discouraged either knowingly or unknowingly which directly affects the number of women involvement in development sector in this patriarchal society. It’s the bitter truth that due to such factors women are lagging behind. They aren’t being able to explore themselves and are being compelled to limit themselves in the household activities. It’s too much amazing despite of going through these bitter realities and encouraging women, how easily people arise the question of ability and intelligence.

If we say particularly in the context of engineering and architecture it’s a bit more complex scenario because most of the people think it’s only for the boys. But how? Actually engineering is for the people. It’s for the easier lifestyle of the people. Our society’s people mind set up is that girls are for being beautiful, caring and loving. This engineering sector is made for only boys which strongly discourage the girls coming to this engineering field. They also equally have young creative mind to explore and innovate the things. They must be treated equally. They never should be discouraged in any name. Different organizations and agencies have been set up in order to eliminate the gender disparity but either effective initiatives has not been taken up by those agencies to abolish such disparities or our patriarchal society and the rules and regulations made by men giving importance to men couldn’t solve these issues of gender disparities to some extent. In this sense I think it’s not an ability issue. It’s about overcoming the barrier. If rights aren’t given then they must be snatched to be taken. In this sense I remember a popular quote which is suitable to address this context.

 “Let’s teach our daughters it’s not about being beautiful. Teach them to be bold. Be silly. Be strong. Be confident. Be independent and intelligent. Be brave and be fierce. Be real in a world full of fake. Let’s redefine beauty.”

In fact there is very important role of women in this engineering and architecture sector. Opinions from the different gender might be different which could be able to solve the different existing problems of the current issues. Their different concepts in innovating the ideas and their collaborative efforts might result a very informative and great message all over the world. At the same time men and women are the two parts of the same coin. That is why, without women in engineering and architectural sector, it will be incomplete organizations. Thus encouraging women in these engineering and architecture has become an essential thing.

Implicit bias has become more dangerous than that of gender stereotypes. The Implicit Association Test (IAT) shows that people subconsciously connect men with science and women with art, according to the results from half a million people around the world between 1998 and 2010. The implicit bias unwittingly and unknowingly makes mind set up of the people to do bias. For instance, some teachers say that boys can solve these problems related to mathematics or science even if there are girls too inside that class. Thus some teachers do implicit bias inside class unknowingly.  Accidentally, this change the mind set up of the students thinking that whether really only boys could solve that problem or what. In fact, it’s not fair. We must change such mind set up of those people which certainly creates a sort of domination towards female. In this condition, there is neither the fault of teacher nor the students but definitely it would be better to say students instead of saying boys. On the another hand, while working with men at a point women realize that really she had to do more struggle to come up or to be at the same level of position because the eyes of the world see that men are more qualified than women automatically, unconsciously and unknowingly even if they are at the same position or they have same qualification or they have same capabilities.

It’s not the matter of being genius. It’s about how hard you work. Judgement shouldn’t be done blindly saying men are more genius and capable in science and engineering. We should of course reward their hard work really for their great deeds and owes making our life easier but in this regard it’s not fair to arise a big question mark in the ability of women in the field of science, technology, engineering and architecture. If they really get opportunity and dedicate then they are really capable of doing something great in the field of science, technology, engineering and architecture and also the combined effort of each and every sector, gender, race and so on is essential in uplifting up the role and increasing the strong involvement of the women in science, technology, engineering and architecture which automatically leads towards the prosperity of this beautiful world. We must work together to get rid of biasing environment for the development in every sector. In fact, engineering is such a creative thing full of fun and we have to work on it with collaborative effort without any sorts of biasness in order to make the life style of the people easier. Either it’s the ability case or the case of limiting their life style in limited household activities – whatever we say, it’s in fact the result of highly discouraging mentality of the society towards the women in this engineering, science, technology and development sector. Equal participation of men and women in such sectors has been essential for the rapid well civilized and well developed society or nation or world because by doing so views from different gender might be more effective for the overall development of the society and the world.