Women in Engineering

Engineering Degree Guide: Women in Engineering

Engineering is a field that to this day boasts a small percentage of female professionals, approximately 8%. While a few women were working hard and making headway as engineers, the influx of women in the workforce during World War II created a demand for female engineers in the workplace. Included in this resource are the biographical profiles of female pioneers in the engineering field who made some crucial discoveries and contributed to promoting the idea that women are just as capable as men. General information about the engineering field, articles that discuss the degree of difficulty many women face working in the engineering field and an array of educational resources, and societies working to promote the inclusion of women as engineering professionals are provided in this resource. This is part of a collection of engineering resources and is geared towards any individual interested in the field of engineering or engineering history.

Famous Women Engineers

Many women paved the way for future female engineers and changed the face of engineering forever. Emily Warren Roebling’s contributions to the Brooklyn Bridge, Helen Augusta Blanchard’s patents on sewing machines, Lillian Gilbreth’s contributions to modern workplace and industrial management are a few of the women represented in this section devoted to some of history’s greatest female engineers. The women in this section defied the convention of their day, worked to earn their degrees in subjects such as psychology, and chemistry and went on to change history.

Emily Warren Roebling (1843-1903)

Popularly credited as the chief engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge. Her father-in-law initially planned the project, but died of tetanus. Her husband took over the project and fell ill. Emily took over for her husband, monitoring every phase of construction. She was the first to cross the Brooklyn Bridge upon its completion in 1883. She is noted on the bridge’s dedication plaque. She later earned a law degree from New York University at the age of 56 in 1899.

Nora Stanton (1883-1971)

The first woman to earn a degree in engineering in the United States. She graduated from Cornell in 1905 with a degree in Civil Engineering. She was the first female member of the American Society of Civil Engineers. She worked as an assistant engineer for several companies. Granddaughter of suffrage activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton, she later dedicated herself to women’s rights as the president of the Women’s Political Union and her efforts towards passing the Equal Rights Amendment.

Helen Augusta Blanchard (1840-1922)

Notable inventor, Helen Augusta Blanchard held 28 patents. A majority of her patents were related to sewing machines, with the most famous patent for the zigzag stitch.

Lillian Gilbreth (1878-1972)

Recognized as the “Mother of Modern Management,” and ergonomics. Lillian Moller Gilbreth earned a degree in Literature from Berkely in 1900, a master’s degree in Literature in 1902 and a doctorate in Psychology in 1915 from Brown University. Her husband Frank Gilbreth was an efficiency expert and the two of them worked together to apply scientific principles to workplace efficiency. They practiced many of their theories at home with their 12 children. Lillian Gilbreth applied psychological principles to management theories developed by Frederick Winslow Taylor, by performing motion and time studies to determine which efforts from a task could be removed to improve efficiency. She was the first to identify direct and indirect incentives that motivated workers. After her husband died, she continued the work they had begun. She worked as a professor in Industrial Engineering, as a lecturer, authored several books and worked as a consultant for GE to improve the efficiency of kitchen appliances. Refrigerator door shelves and the pedals on trash cans are among the inventions she is credited for. She was elected as the first female member of the National Academy of Engineering and the first member of the Society of Women Engineers.

  • The Gilbreth Network provides information about Frank and Lillian Gilbreth, their work, biographical profiles, articles about efficiency, photos and the family that inspired “Cheaper by the Dozen.”

Ellen Henrietta Swallow Richards (1842-1911)

Richards is credited with founding Home Economics. She earned her B.S. from Vassar in 1870. She was the first woman admitted to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She went on to earn a second Bachelor’s degree, a Master’s degree from Vassar in chemistry. She worked to earn a Ph.D. from MIT in chemistry, however the professors did not want to give the first degree in chemistry at MIT to a woman. She founded an oceanographic institute and the Woman’s Laboratory at MIT and co-founded the Society to Encourage Studies at Home. She worked as a dietary consultant at hospitals, tested for toxins in home furnishings, water supplies, food and developed safe sewage systems. She lobbied for the introduction of school lunches and domestic sciences taught in school. She started the Journal of Home Economics in 1910.

About Engineering

The diverse field of engineering, the process of discovering and creating, building and developing new technology, and changing the landscape of human lives is covered in these resources. Crucial information about what engineering is exactly, how it changes our lives, a foundation dedicated to promoting engineering and factual information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is provided in this section of this resource.

  • The National Engineers Week Foundation provides information about the various types of engineering. Statistics, schools, humanitarian groups, news, and forums and other events and more are provided by this resource.
  • Occupational Outlook Handbook from the Bureau of Labor Statistics provides crucial information about the field of engineering, employment, wages, and nature of the work.
  • Discover Engineering is an interactive guide to the field of engineering that provides video activities, career profiles, career facts and other information in a dynamic format.

Articles

These articles and studies reveal information about current female engineering professionals and the modern workplace atmosphere.

Resources

Societies dedicated to the advancement of women in engineering, general societies of engineers, programs dedicated to supporting women in the engineering field, a guide to engineering schools by the accrediting body are some of the resources provided in this section.

  • Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is a professional association of engineers. This resource offers information about education, careers, industry publications, and other professional communities.
  • Society of Women Engineers is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1950 that promotes empowering women to succeed in the field of engineering. Information about scholarships, professional development and SWE magazine are provided.
  • Engineer Girl, developed by The National Academy of Engineering, provides general information about engineering and specifically promotes an interest in engineering in girls and women. Women engineer profiles, recommended reading material, information about engineering achievements and career options are included.
  • Women in Engineering from Ohio State University was established in 1979 to promote female participation in engineering. The OSU program is the 2006 winner of the Women in Engineering Initiative Award.
  • Women in Engineering Proactive Network is a not-for-profit organization of universities, colleges, community colleges, research institutions and businesses working to promote women working in the engineering field.
  • Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) is the accrediting body for educational programs in the fields of engineering and technology. Resource provides news, publications, statistics, webinars and information about accreditation.
  • Engineering Schools Directory provides information about colleges and programs in every state.
  • Women in Engineering Program at Purdue provides pre-college programs to generate interest in the field including “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day” and summer camps.
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) School of Engineering offers information about programs, research, engineering in the news.
  • AllEngineering Schools offers information about engineering careers and career resource guide, educational institutions, salary information for engineers, and a monthly newsletter.
  • The National Science Foundation provides current data on the percentage of population enrolled in various engineering and scientific academic programs, and employment.