We live in a world that loves to categorize things. Gender roles and stereotypes are so deeply ingrained in our society, and often, the associations we make with one’s gender don’t make sense. Why is it that we go so far as to assign gender types to certain color categories? There is certainly no logical correlation between me identifying as a female and the color pink. Yet, this is the world we live in, and the gender stigma certainly goes farther than what color is societally expected to be my favorite.
Alexandra Peck is a freshman at Virginia Tech studying Engineering Science and Mechanics with a focus in Bioengineering and a minor in Biomedical Engineering. She experiences sexism constantly throughout her educational experience because she is – GASP – a woman pursuing a very high-level science and math related major. Sexism is a very real issue in our society, and one area where it is particularly prevalent is in the work force.
HC: What made you want to pursue Engineering?
AP: Throughout high school my passion for mathematics as well as sciences, specifically physics, grew. Not only was I interested in logistics, but I also wanted a major/career that would enable me to be involved with people and to help them. I realized that I wanted to pursue a career that implemented my love for math and physics as well as my desire to help people and make the future. My specific major of engineering does just that. It brings together solving puzzles and equations in addition to giving assistance to people in need. A job of an engineer or an engineering major is very rewarding with a strong sense of achievement.
HC: Who would you say have been your biggest role models throughout your educational experience and why?
AP: One of my biggest role models throughout my educational experience has been my high school AP Physics teacher, Mr. Kennedy. Mr. Kennedy graduated his undergraduate school with an engineering major. He then went on to do a multitude of different things such as working as an engineer within the Peace Corps in Bolivia, selling real estate in North Carolina, and even owning a landscaping business all while traveling the world. Mr. Kennedy was a huge motivator my senior year. He pushed me to work even harder and that no goal is too high: if you fail, adversities are nothing but learning experiences. He inspired me to put a lot of emphasis on my work and brought out a side of me that I didn’t even know that I had. After taking his class I knew that my passion for mathematics and physics was only the beginning as to what my career could turn into. I discovered a hidden drive and ambition in myself that I would not have found if it was not for his motivation and lessons on getting ready for the real world.
HC: Are males the obvious majority within the major of engineering at your school?
AP: Males are the obvious majority within the College of Engineering at my school. Granted there are about 3,000 more males enrolled in the school than females. However, there is roughly a 1:4 ratio of females to males in the college of engineering.
HC: How have you experienced sexism throughout your experience with engineering?
AP: My first semester was a wake-up call in that sexism is very prominent especially in male-dominated fields such as engineering. I had all male professors, one of which simply did not treat the women in the classroom with the same respect as he did the men. I even encountered a lab partner who made a sexist comment with no awareness that the comment was wrong to make. One of the first labs involved working with coding and computer skills and after knowing me for 3 weeks and only seeing me once a week he said, “I’m a boy so I’ll handle the computer stuff,” to which I replied, “I’m perfectly capable of working on a computer, thank you.” Since the field is predominantly male, men in this field feel like they have the upper hand with their skills even if that is not the case. It has gotten to the point where even some females start to fall under the stigma that women cannot do in-depth engineering like some men can. I have been asked several times from multiple different people male and female, as well as my academic advisor who is a female, which engineering path I would like to go down. I would say I want to lean more towards biomechanics and almost always they respond with something like “I figured, most girl engineers are in the bio field.” They are stereotyping even within the engineering field, making the assumption that women cannot do something as difficult as aerospace engineering. Women can do that; I personally however am not interested in it.
HC: How do all of these experiences make you feel?
AP: These experiences make me realize that sexism is still very much alive. Most people say things and make comments without even realizing that they are discriminating against women. It makes me feel as if I am not good enough to be in this major, or if I ever did want to pursue a more difficult level of engineering, I could not do so because I would receive prejudice. It is difficult to try to do your best in what you love while being constantly reminded of your gender, or more so, reminded that you are not a male. People actually believe that women do not have the skillset or the wiring of their brain to achieve what men can achieve. It is very discouraging.
HC: Do you feel that you have to work harder to achieve your academic and career goals as a woman pursuing engineering? What are some of your concerns in terms of your future?
AP: I absolutely feel that I have to work harder. There will be professors that are partial to males, and there will be employers that will not hire me because of my gender or that will not give me large roles or certain projects because of my gender. People do not understand that there are people like that out there and just because they do not experience it on a daily basis, does not mean that it does not exist.
HC: Why do you think sexism is particularly prominent in this major?
AP: I believe sexism is prominent in this major because it is math and science heavy. For a long time it was thought that only men were capable of being successful in math and science. I think some people still have that stigma that women, even in 2017, are not capable of these things. Another theory could be that some men are insecure about their own abilities and the only way to secure themselves is to belittle women doing the same job or task.
HC: Are there times where you feel hopeless or frustrated with not being taken seriously? How do you stand your ground?
AP: There are times where I question if I am [good] enough to be competing in this difficult field of study. I feel that I am constantly trying to prove my strength and dominance in the major. I realize that I am capable of completing tasks, doing assignments, coding and building; however, when I am constantly being questioned and challenged by males it does become frustrating. Engineering is enough work in itself without having to deal with slighting and sexist comments or connotations. But at the end of the day, your work and drive speaks for itself and you can’t let other people affect your work.
HC: In what ways do you think the society we live in needs to change so that equality can finally become a reality for ALL people?
AP: Most people need to realize that one’s identified gender does not define him or her. I also believe that people need to be educated on the issue as well and see the statistics, in particular those related to the gender wage gap. People do not react to things unless it is happening to someone close to them or to themselves in general. I am a woman and I wasn’t aware of the extremities of sexism until it was happening to me and that made me think about the issue, and that we need change. If we put forth even more efforts to educate the common person about sexism, I believe that equality can be a reality.