Innovation Anthology #285:
While more women are entering the sciences, statistics show that only 12 percent of engineers are women, and in construction it’s a dismal 4 percent.
Another problem is keeping these women in the industry once they’ve completed their education.
A long time campaigner for women in non-traditional roles, Dr. Margaret-Ann Armour says the problem is a male dominated culture in the workplace.
DR. MARGARET-ANN ARMOUR: An awful lot of it has to do with having a family and being able work, and trying to balance the two. Because if it’s a workplace which is still fairly well male dominated, it has a male culture. And the male culture is you shall work 18 hours a day and always be there. And women are saying I don’t want that. I don’t want that kind of lifestyle. I want a balance.
Dr. Armour and her colleagues have recently launched WinSETT Centre.
Headquartered in Edmonton, the Canadian Centre for Women in Science, Engineering, Trades and Technology will focus its first programs on training women as leaders.
DR. MARGARET-ANN ARMOUR: If we don’t have women as leaders in engineering, the culture of engineering is not going to change, So when young women come into the workforce, they’re going to not stay.
Learn more about the WinSETT Centre at InnovationAnthology.com
I’M CHERYL CROUCHER
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Program Date: 2010-01-21