What are the Realities of Women in Engineering in Quebec?

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What are the realities of women in engineering and other fields where women are largely in the minority? What satisfactions do women experience, what obstacles do they face? How can we attract women and girls to STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and integrate and retain them once they’ve arrived?

The Realities of Women in Engineering: Joys, Challenges, and Solutions answers these questions by presenting the methods and results of an in-depth research project, one step at a time. The book 1) contextualizes the issues, reviews the literature, and explains the project’s research methods; 2) synthesizes the project’s findings on the joys and motivations — as well as the challenges and difficulties — experienced by each group of women interviewed (women working in engineering, including female engineering professors and engineering/STEM students); 3) reveals the findings that emerged from interviews with human resources specialists, Indigenous women, and women from immigrant backgrounds, including findings about equities and inequities experienced or perceived in the world of engineering and STEM; 4) exposes different perceptions of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI), women’s perceptions of their contribution to engineering, and the perspectives of men in engineering (to nuance the results); 5) offers strategies and solutions in education, business, and society, including mentorship; and 6) distills recommendations in two competency frameworks and a practical model.

The varied and complementary expertise of the project’s coresearchers and their collaborators produces original and innovative reflections on the realities of women in STEM.

With the collaboration of Jennifer Petrela, Marie Eva Andriantsara, Jessica Bélisle, Cristina Guzman, Jessie Morin and Morgane Vandel