Sexism in the workplace

[Andeh13]

I am in my final year of an Engineering degree. I am in the position where i need to try and find myself a graduate job in engineering for next year when i graduate.

I have been applying to several places over the last week and i am feeling somewhat annoyed and I don't know if this is justified. When applying for companies many of them have a page or two where the previous graduates have written about what they have learnt and how the years has been for them. It is here where my annoyance lies, 9/10 companies which i have applied for have half men, half women graduates working for them.

Whilst on the surface this is perfectly fair, looking around at my course at University, out of the 100 or so people on my course, only a dozen (at the very most) of them are women. So my theory is, in a work place this should be carried through, surely?

Am i wrong feeling slightly miffed that there seems to be such positive discrimination towards young women? Is this political correctness gone wrong, male mangers preferring women working around them, or just me being naive & simple about the modern workplace?

[Terbinator]

Well what about if the women generally leave with better results ?

[Flibb]

Its just the company trying to show that they have lots of Women working for them.

[Andeh13]

It could be that women leave with better results, I didn't think of that! I will say part of me feeling a bit bitter could possibly be down to the companies making the applications tortuously long for a very short ''we are not accepting any graduates this year'' e-mail reply.

[TeePee]

If you're white, you'll also be discriminated against.

[just_laze]

Do these pages feature all of their graduates? Probably not. They've likely chosen them carefully to suggest a greater diversity than there actually is.

[PeterStoba]

I'm gonna go for

male mangers preferring women working around them,

Seems logical

[finlay666]

Well what about if the women generally leave with better results ?

More likely to work harder in a male dominated area to show their place is valid on skill... I know its the same on my course, the 2 girls in my year are pretty much top of the groups

[Domestic_Ginger]

Can I ask what kind of engineering? If you can't find a job and if you can afford it you could try for work experience. many firms are keen to take people on for a few days.

Its unsusual for so many women to be present in both science (except Biology) and engineering jobs. You can be in the situation where female managers prefer hiring women as well.

We're about 10-20% women here; haven't counted everyone up before.

[mikerr]

Do these pages feature all of their graduates? Probably not. They've likely chosen them carefully to suggest a greater diversity than there actually is.

Exactly.. employ 100 male grads, and 10 female.

Then publish "reviews" of 10 male, 10 female... good PR

[tiggerai]

Hmmm thanks for single handedly writing all of us off there.

You're now on Tiggerai's BAD list - shall be reporting to Santa.

This is not the story I've seen anyway, I've worked in various different companies in IT - and most of the time there has either been a good balance at 50/50, my last company was about the same (although the web services dept was completely all girls) and now I'm in a team of 14 - and I'm the only female. So I would say that places are filled on merit only - if you're right for the job then you'll get it, regardless of sex.

My university course the ratio was 150-4 and all of us girls had exactly the same trouble getting placements as the boys. Out in the big real world its a dog-eat-dog and you can't pull the "girly" card to get where you want. (or the "sexism" card if the other way round)

And there is also an assumption up there ^ that all managers in Engineering are male. Which is just not true.

Us females work bloody hard to get round the stigma of a male dominated environment, so please don't go making it out to be easy to get a job just because we have mammaries. I worked bloody hard for what I've achieved - to be respected as a professional in a male-dominated area.

Putting reviews of the company from females already working there is proven to attract more female applicants - to a subject area which is traditionally struggling to get females into it. I think its a good thing.

Good luck finding a graduate job andehh, it's not going to be easy in this economic climate.

Tiggerai BEng (Hons) Internet Engineering (2005)

(Next stop MSc and a CEng...)

[oolon]

My Sister is a Chemical Engineer, My Dad is a Chemical Engineer, I have a degree in Computer Science and Electronic Engineering. I think my sister is the best Engineer of all of us, my father is the best manager, and I am... just lucky! I know when my sister started she got some hassle, but there again so did I. You have to prove yourself to a company (workforce) that you are more than just a qualification. She is now highly regarded for her skill, and has no problems commanding around men who are twice her size.

(For this example I have excluded my bother in law who is a mechanical engineer.)

To be honest I don't care if I work with men or women, I don't really case about that part just than people get things done right. Most of the people I have worked with are not the type I would probably socialise with. I don't have to like someone to work with them, work is about respect not friends (liking someone does help though). I have never understood workplace romances, thinking having space away from your partner can be a good thing.

[midzt]

I'm also assuming that the websites just want to show diversity, not likely to be representative of who they hire as a percentage.
I also find it unlikely that it would be 50/50, seeing as my course has around 10% females.
From my experience, the company I worked for, in design engineering theres was 4/5 females out of around 80 in the department.

However, I am annoyed that girls at uni get grants just because they are female! There's a shortage of engineers in general, and OK particularly female, but why should they be given money to do exactly the same course.....

[tiggerai]

However, I am annoyed that girls at uni get grants just because they are female! There's a shortage of engineers in general, and OK particularly female, but why should they be given money to do exactly the same course.....

Do they?! I missed out on that one... it's called an incentive though... to get more female minds into the industry...

[abaxas]

Welcome to the real world.

In terms of equal opportinuty, it's best to lie as there is no way they can prove otherwise.

Obviously dont say you are a black one armed disabled lebsian from Solamila when you are a white blonde haired bloke.

Maybe you could be Jewish? Mixed race? (always a good one as everyone is technically that).

It's sad that this will help your prospects, but you didnt make the system, you only have to work within it.

[eshrules]

Welcome to the real world.

In terms of equal opportinuty, it's best to lie as there is no way they can prove otherwise.

Obviously dont say you are a black one armed disabled lebsian from Solamila when you are a white blonde haired bloke.

Maybe you could be Jewish? Mixed race? (always a good one as everyone is technically that).

It's sad that this will help your prospects, but you didnt make the system, you only have to work within it.

wait, what? the OP is discussing sexism in the workplace...somehow you've made the quantum leap to lying about your ethnic background in some deluded ideology that this will give you an advantage over other applicants?