| 
Working
towards a more balanced and inclusive profession.
As
recently as 2001, only about 23% of all engineering students
in Ontario were women. Today, only 7% of all licensed engineers
in Ontario are women. The Women in Engineering Advisory
Committee (WEAC) was formed to determine ways of
improving these statistics by encouraging the full participation
of women in engineering throughout the province.
The
challenge: why too few women impacts our profession
Good
engineering is about helping clients, employers, our province
and our country meet complex challenges. But to do this effectively,
the engineering profession must include the greatest possible
range of knowledge, skills, experience and perspectives.
Though
the percentage of women enrolled in Ontario engineering schools
has increased to approximately 20% over the past two decades,
women are still vastly under-represented at the university
level compared with other professional faculties, such as
medicine and law. In addition, this increase has failed to
improve the overall percentage of licensed women professional
engineers, which is still less than 7%.
With such
a marginal population of women, the engineering profession
in Ontario is not as progressive as it should be. Through
WEAC, the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers is working
to change these realities and create a more balanced and inclusive
profession that attracts top talent from all sectors of the
population.
Working
towards a solution: WEAC and its mandate
More
than a decade ago, Professional Engineers Ontario established
the Women in Engineering Advisory Committee (WEAC) to identify
ways of encouraging the full participation of women in engineering.
Since
then, WEAC has conducted research and examined issues and
obstacles still facing female engineers at universities and
in the workplace. Today, WEAC participates in events and initiatives
of interest to Ontario engineers, with the particular goal
of developing a more balanced and inclusive engineering profession.
In the
spring of 2003, WEAC moved from PEO to OSPE. WEAC is now able
to place more emphasis on advocacy and non-regulatory programming
designed to increase the participation of women in the profession.
Roles
and Responsibilities of WEAC
- To
encourage more women in Ontario to consider engineering
as a career and to study engineering at the post-secondary
level.
- To
encourage more Ontario women engineering graduates to pursue
licensure as professional engineers.
- To
encourage more Ontario women engineers to pursue leadership
roles in the workplace and within the governance structure
of the engineering profession.
- To
study the engineering profession in Ontario in order to
identify, understand and reduce potential barriers for women.
- To
engage governments, industry, educators, allied organizations
and all engineers in making the engineering profession more
progressive and inclusive.
WEAC
Events
WEAC
Spring Forum - "Exploring Volunteer Opportunities"
- May 14, 2009
WEAC
Spring Forum - "Speed Networking" - May
24, 2007
7th
Annual Claudette MacKay-Lassonde Fall Forum - Nov. 4, 2006
WEAC
Spring Forum - "Should I Stay, or Should I Go?"
- May 25, 2006
WEAC
Fall Forum - The Power to Excel: Learn, share ideas
and network with fellow engineers and students - Oct 22, 2005
GoEngGirl
- For girls grades 7-10 and a parent - Oct. 15, 2005
WEAC
Spring Forum - Featuring a presentation from Engineering Without
Borders - May 26, 2005
The
5th Annual Claudette MacKay-Lassonde Fall Forum - October
23, 2004 Professional Engineers: Living, Learning, Leading
The
4th Annual Claudette MacKay-Lassonde Fall Forum - October
25, 2003
WEAC Initiatives: The Women Into Engineering Project
In March
2000, a Partnership was formed among Professional Engineers
Ontario (PEO), the NSCERC/Nortel Networks Joint Chair for
Women in Science and Engineering in Ontario, and the Ontario
Women’s Directorate, part of the Ministry of Citizenship.
The goal of the Partnership is to encourage and support Ontario
universities in the removal of barriers for women studying
and working in faculties of engineering. When WEAC moved to
the Society in 2003, PEO's role in the partnership was taken
over by OSPE.
The
Women Into Engineering Project consists of the following components:
- Where
We Are and Where We Need to Go: a research
report on women in engineering, by Etta Wharton
- Project
‘A’: Women into Engineering Forum/Working Session,
October 2001 - bringing together Project stakeholders
to discuss and plan strategies aimed at removing barriers
for women in engineering.
- Project
‘B’: Gender Issues Training Kit
- raising the awareness of engineering faculty members to
gender issues for better retention of female students.
- Project
‘C’: Women in Engineering Associate Chairs
- researching and developing Women in Engineering Associate
Chairs initiative in at least three faculties.
- Project
‘D’: Improving Engineering Pedagogy
- researching and redesigning Ontario engineering curricula
to be more pedagogically relevant and attractive to both
women and men.
WEAC-OWD
Final Project Report 2006
Communication and Gender
Differences in the Classroom - A Workshop Kit (June
2003)
Studies
have shown that instructors at all levels, both men and women,
tend to treat male and female students differently. These
differences can impact women's self esteem and career aspirations
significantly during their university years, despite strong
academic performance.
For this
reason, the Women Into Engineering Project
examined the entry and retention rates of women into Ontario
engineering faculties and, specifically, the effect of communication
and gender differences in the classroom upon those rates.
This research
resulted in the creation of the "Communication
and Gender Differences in the Classroom" kit for
faculty and staff to:
- Gain
increased awareness and understanding of gender differences;
- Learn
ways to make the learning environment more supportive for
women;
- Develop
a "do-able" personal action plan that will benefit
students.
If you
cannot download the pdf for the kit, and would like to receive
a zipped version of the file, please email jmelnikova@ospe.on.ca.
Communication
and Gender in the Engineering Faculty
Workshop Sessions 2006
As a result
of information gathered from the first pilot sessions, advice
and experience of ONWIE members, and the desire of the WIE
project Steering Committee to include the topic of professional
identity, revisions were made to the original kit contents.
Now included is a detailed agenda to guide facilitators. This
agenda, revised handouts and the revised presentation slides
with notes are appendices in the final report on the 2006
sessions.
Getting involved with WEAC
Each year WEAC also hosts forums and events of interest to
Ontario engineers. If you would like to know about WEAC events,
please continue to consult our interactive OSPE
Calendar of Events, or email jmelnikova@ospe.on.ca.
In addition to attending events, all OSPE members in good
standing are welcome to volunteer with WEAC when the opportunity
arises. If you are a member of OSPE, log
in now and complete a volunteer profile, including your
experience and preferences. When volunteer opportunities become
available, we will be able to contact you.
Latest
News:
Society
Notes March 2005
- OSPE joins fight to curb flagging female enrollment in engineering
|
