Why They Come, Why They Leave: Examining Women Engineers’ Career Satisfaction

Abstract

Engineering has historically had high attrition rates for women. Despite initiatives to increase women’s participation in the field, the problem persists. In this study, we examine factors that lead to female career satisfaction in engineering. Career satisfaction is historically linked to factors such as salary, work-life balance and work environment. The masculine culture of engineering can at times challenge these factors and bring other issues to light. This study provides insights into long-term career satisfaction within this masculine culture. Specifically, using univariate and multivariate statistical analyses of data from an online survey of 262 female engineers who graduated from a medium size university in the southeast, the impact of social factors related to work/social-life balance factors, organizational factors, and structural factors on career satisfaction were examined. The findings suggest, factors generally associated with career satisfaction (i.e. income, staying at work late, relationships with co-workers, and social factors) did not play a significant role in career satisfaction for our participants. However, once a sense of discrimination was examined alongside those factors, income became a statistically significant factor in career satisfaction. This may help explain why females report having high levels of career satisfaction, yet they experience sexism and discrimination. In addition, self-esteem played an important role in females’ sense of career satisfaction. As their self-esteem increases, they are more likely to be satisfied in their careers. These findings suggest that a number of factors influence career satisfaction, including people’s experiences in their undergrad and their day-to-day experiences at their job.