This dissertation examines the gendered experience of professional engineers in Alberta, Canada. The study is based on qualitative interview data collected from men and women trained in engineering (n=36) and textual analysis of materials produced by engineering organizations (Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta; the Consulting Engineers Association in Alberta; the Engineering Alumni Association at the University of Alberta; and the School of Engineering at the University of Calgary). Drawing on the theoretical insights of Bourdieu, in combination with Connells constructionist perspective on gender, the dominant norms of the profession, the idealized traits and dispositions of engineers, and the impacts of a (mis)match between these broader norms and individual traits on commitment, are examined.
The dissertation is structured around chapters that: 1) describe the dominant ideals of the engineering field; 2) examine whether the norms of engineering reflect gendered and racialized ideals; 3) argue for attention to professional identity and personal alignment with the profession over traditional notions of retention; 4) examine three key traits of engineers (or the engineering habitus): a strong work ethic, individual responsibility, and being rational problem-solvers; 5) analyze a primary engineering trait, technical orientation, in relation to retention and gender; 6) describe masculinities enacted in the profession and how they parallel differences in commitment and the engineering habitus; and 7) explore womens perceptions of gendered personalities, structural issues in the balancing of family and work, and the relationship between organizational support of work-life balance and commitment to the profession.
Through these analyses I find that women, and those less tied to the technical, are less likely to be committed to the profession. Yet this conclusion is far from determined as multiple factors come into play including a professional culture that pushes engineers to their limits, organizations that do not support or provide work-life balance opportunities, an emphasis on individual responsibility within rigid structures, and an ideal of making a difference in a field that reinforces the status quo. These factors, when further combined with gendered norms, create a profession in which the retention is far from that of a simple pipeline.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:AEU.10048/1483 |
| Date | 11 1900 |
| Creators | Campbell, Rachel |
| Contributors | Krahn, Harvey (Sociology), Krahn, Harvey (Sociology), Hughes, Karen (Sociology), Ranson, Gillian (Sociology), Taylor, Alison (Educational Policy Studies), Madill, Helen (Faculty of Extension), Adams, Tracy (Sociology) |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 1961621 bytes, application/pdf |
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