New Delhi, Jan 25: The number of women engineers unemployed in India is five times more than their male counterparts and the trend is increasing across the country, according to a recent study.
The study titled ‘Walking the Tightrope’ was conducted by the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) in collaboration with the University of California’s Centre for Work Life Law and San Francisco-based Hastings College of the Law. Established in 1950, the US-based Society of Women Engineers is a not-for-profit educational and service organisation with more than 37,000 members in 100 professional sectors.
The online year-long nationwide survey was conducted among 693 engineers working in various disciplines, engineering sectors and employment levels. Women engineers quit their jobs after having children. According to the survey, 40 per cent of the respondents, irrespective of gender, said that female engineers should work less after having children, while 27 per cent of the participants opine that men should work more after they become father.
Forty-five percent of women also feel pressured to play submissive roles at workplace.
Indian engineers of both genders experience high levels of bias in different forms
Presenting insights of experiences of gender bias among Indian men and women working for western multinational engineering companies in the country, the survey also said that both men and women engineers in India experience high levels of bias, albeit in different forms.
While most women engineers face gender bias, male engineers face bias due to their region and language, the report said. As per the survey, 44 per cent of the male and 30 per cent of the female engineers surveyed said that face bias because of the state or region they come from.
Also 45 per cent of female engineers said that have to consistently compete with their women colleagues to get the ‘lone spot’ available for women.
11% female, 6% male engineers experience unwanted sexual attention at workplace
The report said that 76 per cent engineers of both the genders said that they have to repeatedly prove themselves to get respect in the workplace.
Of the total engineers surveyed, 11 per cent female and 6 per cent male engineers said they experienced unwanted sexual attention or inappropriate touching in the workplace. Interestingly, the survey pointed out that 45 per cent of women and 28 per cent of men perceive that even if it is work-related, it is inappropriate for women to argue at work.
“The report underlines the bias problems that India’s engineering workplace experiences. This is the tipping point. It is a call to action for organisations to address these pressing issues,” said Neeti Sanan, faculty, Indian Institute of Management, Udaipur, and consultant to the SWE study.
