Attracting women into engineering-a case study

Women make up 52% of the population and 55% (1996) of all undergraduate students in Canadian Universities, yet only 21% of students enrolled in applied science and engineering programs are women. In 1991, Ryerson Polytechnic University initiated the “Discover Engineering” Summer Camp for high school girls. The objectives of the project are to educate young women about the challenges and rewards of engineering, and to motivate them to choose engineering as a career option. This paper presents an overview of the “Discover Engineering” project as an example of a successful recruitment strategy to attract more women into engineering. Follow-up surveys indicate that of the 760 students who have attended the camp, approximately 400 women are now studying engineering. Survey results and factors that contributed to the camp success are discussed. Camp attendance patterns and high school programs suggest that social class and cultural perceptions may still constitute barriers to women´s entry into the engineering profession