Examining the Association Between Undergraduate Women's Gender Identities and Their Sense of Relatedness to Engineering

• In Event: A Focus on Race, Gender, LGBQ+, and English Language Learners in STEM

Abstract

This quantitative study utilizes survey data from a sample of 800 racially diverse women in engineering from across the U.S., and examines how different aspects of their gender identities are associated with their sense of relatedness to engineering. Results reveal that feeling a strong similarity with typical men their age is related to a stronger connection to engineering, including stronger engineering identities, career intentions, and inclusion from men in their classes. However, highly identifying with typical women is related to a lower sense of relatability with men classmates and engineering career intentions. As such, this study provides new insights by considering multi-dimensional measures of gender identity to examine the experiences of women in the highly gendered field of engineering.

Authors

• Ursula Nguyen, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
  Presenting Author

• Catherine C. Riegle-Crumb, University of Texas at Austin
  Non-Presenting Author