Painting the Picture – A Statistical Update on Women in Engineering in Australia

The paper examines women's participation in engineering education and workforce in Australia. Using data from recent editions of Engineers Australia's The Engineering Profession: A Statistical Overview and drawing heavily on a detailed analysis of 2006 Population Census data, the aim is to...

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Main Authors: Marinelli, Melissa, Calais, Martina
Format: Conference Paper
Published: 2011
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/79845
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author Marinelli, Melissa
Calais, Martina
author_facet Marinelli, Melissa
Calais, Martina
author_sort Marinelli, Melissa
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description The paper examines women's participation in engineering education and workforce in Australia. Using data from recent editions of Engineers Australia's The Engineering Profession: A Statistical Overview and drawing heavily on a detailed analysis of 2006 Population Census data, the aim is to show trends in the commencements, enrolments and graduations of female engineering students and to give an overview of the nature of female participation in the engineering workforce. Key findings include: slight increases in female percentage participation in engineering studies from 2001 to 2008, with growth in overseas and postgraduate students; the 2006 engineering labour force included 9.8% women, while 10.7% of individuals with engineering qualifications were women; unique and significant gender differences in the uptake of full-time and part-time employment exist; the gender pay gap is evident, with female engineers in full and part-time positions earning lower average weekly salaries than male engineers; a higher percentage of qualified engineering women are not in the labour force, compared to men, with a notable difference in the age groups around 35 years; and gender segregation of the engineering labour force by occupation and industry is seen, with a higher proportion of women in clerical / administrative and sales roles and health care and social and accommodation and food sectors. The work is the foundation for a regular update of gendered statistical data that will establish a detailed picture of engineering women in Australia and will assist with targeted progression of issues.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-798452021-01-04T01:34:01Z Painting the Picture – A Statistical Update on Women in Engineering in Australia Marinelli, Melissa Calais, Martina The paper examines women's participation in engineering education and workforce in Australia. Using data from recent editions of Engineers Australia's The Engineering Profession: A Statistical Overview and drawing heavily on a detailed analysis of 2006 Population Census data, the aim is to show trends in the commencements, enrolments and graduations of female engineering students and to give an overview of the nature of female participation in the engineering workforce. Key findings include: slight increases in female percentage participation in engineering studies from 2001 to 2008, with growth in overseas and postgraduate students; the 2006 engineering labour force included 9.8% women, while 10.7% of individuals with engineering qualifications were women; unique and significant gender differences in the uptake of full-time and part-time employment exist; the gender pay gap is evident, with female engineers in full and part-time positions earning lower average weekly salaries than male engineers; a higher percentage of qualified engineering women are not in the labour force, compared to men, with a notable difference in the age groups around 35 years; and gender segregation of the engineering labour force by occupation and industry is seen, with a higher proportion of women in clerical / administrative and sales roles and health care and social and accommodation and food sectors. The work is the foundation for a regular update of gendered statistical data that will establish a detailed picture of engineering women in Australia and will assist with targeted progression of issues. 2011 Conference Paper http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/79845 restricted
spellingShingle Marinelli, Melissa
Calais, Martina
Painting the Picture – A Statistical Update on Women in Engineering in Australia
title Painting the Picture – A Statistical Update on Women in Engineering in Australia
title_full Painting the Picture – A Statistical Update on Women in Engineering in Australia
title_fullStr Painting the Picture – A Statistical Update on Women in Engineering in Australia
title_full_unstemmed Painting the Picture – A Statistical Update on Women in Engineering in Australia
title_short Painting the Picture – A Statistical Update on Women in Engineering in Australia
title_sort painting the picture – a statistical update on women in engineering in australia
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/79845