Whiteness and Race in the Engineering Workplace

This Work in Progress Research paper examines the role of race in the engineering workplace. Despite many efforts, participation in engineering by women and People of Color remains well below their proportion of the population. There is a need to move beyond creating programs to support underrepresented groups, and instead examine the structural issues that limit their participation. In this paper we examine the ways in which White engineers discuss the role of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We interviewed nine White engineers, five men and four women. Interviews were semi-structured and asked about their workplace culture and experiences. Both the men and women talked about racial minorities in a way that minimized the importance of race. At the same time, the women recognized their own status as minorities in engineering. Our findings show that the way White engineers frame the role of race in the workplace can serve to limit the opportunities for People of Color.