Ghanaian Women and the Engineering Profession

Abstract

The number of Ghanaian women in the engineering profession is very low compared to that of men, although current government policies on education promote equal educational opportunities for both sexes. A study has been conducted on some Ghanaian women engineers and women engineering students, with some input from some male engineering student counterparts, and male and female engineering lecturers.

It was found, amongst other reasons, that the absence of counselling in secondary schools, difficulties in understanding mathematical concepts, criticism and discouragement from people and the low number of female lecturers are some of the causes of low female participation in engineering. Cultural and social stereotyping of male and female roles in jobs did not worry the female engineers and engineering students. The major motivating factors were natural curiosity, mathematics and science ability, and influence from family and non-family members. They had high career aspirations of rising to management, executive positions and setting up engineering firms. The engineering lecturers and male engineering students were all in favour of increasing the participation of females in engineering. Some suggestions have been made on what to do to increase female participation in engineering.