The trials and tribulations of women in the engineering workforce

There is no doubt that women have come a long way in their representation in the hi-tech field. Although still few in number, women can be found in various technical roles, ranging from engineers to technical managers, vice presidents and presidents. Despite their growth within industry, there seems to be an element of surprise, or wonder, when a women succeeds in a technical position. Women constantly have to work at proving themselves to their male peers and managers in order to gain credibility and ultimately succeed in a male-dominated field. Their male counterparts, on the other hand, rarely go through the same approval process. In this article, I present the results of interviewing three men and three women in comparative technical and managerial roles. I demonstrate how the unique struggles that a woman experiences in the engineering field affect her overall career development.