Women in Technology Education
WANTED! Women in
Technology
Dr. Stanley A. Komacek
Chair, Department of Applied Engineering and
Technology
California University of PA
As
the parents of two daughters, my wife and I knew importance of the
impressionable preschool years in their development into strong young women. We
consistently conveyed the messages that they could do whatever they wanted in
life and that women could hold the same jobs and do the same work as men.
We knew they would need encouragement from the start if they were to have
any chance of realizing that message; particularly if they wanted to enter what
are considered non-traditional fields for women.
My
wife was well acquainted with the obstacles of entering a male-dominated field.
After graduating from California University in the late ‘70s, she
entered the Pennsylvania College of Optometry where she was one of 10 women in
an entering class of over 150 students. Optometry
was a male-dominated field, and many of the male students, professors and
optometrists were less than kind to my wife and her fellow female students.
Despite the many obstacles placed in her way, she completed her degree
and has successfully operated an optometric practice for nearly a decade and a
half.
I
wish we had been as successful with our daughters. As soon as they entered
school, they came home spouting the traditional occupational stereotypes---
“policeman,” “fireman,” “men are doctors, women are nurses,”
“women are artists, men are engineers,” etc.
Of course, we were surprised and disappointed, but we realized that our
children were now out in society, a society that would have a major impact on
the development of our children. Unfortunately,
society is still not encouraging females to participate in some fields,
including technology, despite the high demand for employees.
High-technology is driving economic and job growth in the
United States. From 1993 to 1996,
spending on information technology hardware alone was $280 billion, 17% more
than U.S. new motor vehicle purchases, 49% more than new home spending, and 168%
more than commercial and industrial construction during the same period (Technology
21, p. 12). From 1979 to 1992,
technology was the fastest growing occupational group, growing by 57%. The number of technology workers needed through the year 2000
is projected to grow by 32% and comprise 20% of all employment by 2005 (Richman,
1994).
In the U.S., there are nearly 10 million high-tech workers
earning high wages. Workers with jobs that require daily computer use earn an
average of 20% more than workers in similar jobs that do not require daily
computer use. In Pennsylvania, the
average high-technology worker earns $42,451; nearly $20,000 more than workers
in traditional non-technology sectors. Starting
salaries for engineers and other professional technology workers are often in
the $40,000 range. The future is
promising for technology-capable workers seeking employment in high-technology
careers in Pennsylvania. According
to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry (1998), “the majority of
all new jobs in the state will be in the technical category” (p. 2).
Department of Applied Engineering and Technology (AET)
program graduates at Cal U have little difficulty finding meaningful employment.
AET’s programs have reported placement rates over 92%.
During the past two years, the Electrical Engineering Technology program
has reported a 100% placement rate with the lowest starting salary at $32,500.
The Industrial Technology and Graphic Communications Technology programs
have reported placement rates over 92% with top starting salaries over $33,000.
Technology teachers are also in demand. The Technology Education program
has a 100% placement rate during the past six years with average starting
salaries last year over $30,000. Placement
statistics are similar for technology graduates from other schools.
That’s the good news.
The bad news is that very few women are enrolled in AET’s programs.
About 450 students are currently enrolled in AET.
Last year only about 8% (38 students) were females.
Twenty-six of the 38 female students were in one program, Graphic
Communications Technology. Nearly
40% of graphics majors are females. Female
enrollments in other programs were nearly non-existent with six females in
Industrial Technology, five in Technology Education and one in Electrical
Engineering Technology.
The
few females who enroll in AET tend to excel as students and as graduates. In
recent years, several officers of Epsilon Pi Tau, the honorary fraternity for
technology studies, have been women. Also,
several AET student clubs (NAIT, TEAC, Screen Printing Student Association) have
had numerous female officers. Female students last year received six of the nine technology
scholarship awards received by AET students, and 18 of the 38 women in AET last
year were on the Dean's List.
Current
Technology Education student Bekky Jones, a former PA-Technology Student
Association officer and scholarship recipient, is currently participating in a
co-op program at Walt Disney World in Florida, where she is an instructor for
Disney On-Line’s computer and web courses. Technology Education graduate
Arnall Cox was the 1996 President of the Florida Technology Education
Association and the 1997 Florida Technology Teacher Excellence Award winner.
Ellen Kleinfelder is the Department Chair of Technology Education at
North Allegheny School District in Wexford, PA, where she supervises more than a
dozen male technology teachers. Ellen is also a Regional Vice-President of the
Technology & Engineering Education Association of Pennsylvania.
Another recent Technology Education graduate likes to boast that she
received more than two dozen-job offers without sending one resume!
Recent Electrical Engineering Technology graduate, Joni Strennen, last
summer completed an internship with Bell Atlantic. The telecommunications giant has offered Joni a position with
a starting salary of $60,000! Patty
Slogan, a May ’98 Industrial Technology graduate, is working as an Associate
Process Engineer for Westinghouse’s Commercial Nuclear Fuel Division in
Blairsville, PA. Graphics grad
Kelly Parker, winner of several National Guttenburg Awards for graphics two
years in a row, is now a customer service representative for Color Craft
Corporation, a national commercial offset printer.
In summary, women who graduate from an AET program at Cal U are recruited
by employers and successful in their chosen fields.
Why
Don’t Women Enroll in Technology?
Part of the reason there are so few females in AET may be
due to the lack of female technology teachers in the state.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, less than 50 of
the approximately 2,500 Technology Education teachers in the state are female
(less than 2%). Recruitment research conducted by technology professors
suggests teachers are the most influential people in a high school student’s
decision to pursue a degree and career in technology.
The rarity of female technology teachers provides few female role models
for middle and high school girls. Also, at Cal U only two of AET’s 22
professors are women, which reduces the opportunities for female students to
secure a female mentor or role model. The
low number of female technology teachers and professors is a national problem.
Of course, there are probably many other reasons why women don’t pursue technology programs, including:
· Societal pressures on girls throughout childhood to pursue traditional female roles not associated with technology (Swanson & Miller, 1998).
· Insufficient encouragement from parents and teachers for girls to use technology and less exposure to technology for girls than boys (www.girltech.com).
·
Sexism in male-dominated technology classrooms and labs throughout
education and male bias in technology curricula (Flowers, 1996).
What is it like to be a Woman in AET?
Anyone entering an environment in which they are in the
minority group would be intimidated and women in AET are definitely in the
minority. According to Patty
Slogan, “at first it was intimidating, but after some time, as with any field
of study, my fellow students became my friends and not only challenged me but
encouraged me.” The need to prove
they can compete in technology with men may be part of the reason why women tend
to excel in AET. Bekky Jones says
“working in a male-dominated field makes me strive harder to achieve more.”
Of course, women should not be required to work harder to achieve the
same goals as men. Obviously, more
changes are needed.
Employment opportunities abound for workers with technology capabilities. Unfortunately, females are still not being encouraged to participate. My wife and I continue to emphasize opportunities without limits for our daughters, but we realize the difficulties they face in overcoming societal pressures for traditional occupational stereotypes. AET is in the same position--emphasizing opportunities and working to reduce conventional limits for women in technology.
References
Flowers, J. C. (1996). Female educators and students assess gender equity in technology education. Virginia Department of Education.
Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. (1998).
Bureau of Research and Statistics
Labor Market Job Guide. Harrisburg,
PA: Department of Labor and Industry.
Richman, L. (1994, August). The new worker elite. Fortune, pp. 56-66.
Swanson, J. & Miller, E. (1998). Technology: Are we helping our daughters? Tech Directions, April, p. 20-21.
Technology 21. The Keystone Spirit: Putting Technology to Work. (1997). Technology 21 Leadership Group.
United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. (1998). 1998-99 Occupational Outlook Handbook. (http://stats.bls.gov/blshome.htm)