Women in Engineering in Turkey - A Large Scale Quantitative and Qualitative Examination

Abstract

The underrepresentation of women in engineering is well known and unresolved. However, Turkey has witnessed a shift in trend from virtually no female participation in engineering to across-the-board proportions that dominate other industrialised countries within the 76 years of the founding of the Turkish Republic. This paper describes the largest known direct cross-sectional study of women in engineering in Turkey with over 800 participants. The methods include survey and facilitated focus groups. The study shows that women in Turkey choose engineering mainly because they enjoy the underlying mathematics and science. There is no gender bias on the part of teachers or fellow students; however, women students believe that they have fewer opportunities than male peers and acutely feel the lack of role models. Working professionals in industry or government perceive that women assume a more indirect, supporting role; however, women overall strongly affirm their selection of engineering despite some negative factors.