Gender and racial bias in engineering has a significant impact on the retention of diverse talent. Research studies indicate that almost 40% of female engineers leave the engineering workforce by midcareer. Implicit or unconscious bias can have a negative impact on the workplace climate, affecting decisions in hiring, promotions, and compensation for women and other underrepresented minorities in engineering, and keeping them from reaching senior-level and leadership positions.
In partnership with the Center for WorkLife Law at the University of California, Hastings College of Law, SWE conducted a study to understand engineers’ experiences with implicit bias in the workplace. Over 3,000 male and female professionals with at least two years of experience as engineers or engineering technicians participated. The results of the study suggest that workplace climate is tougher for women and people of color as compared with white men.
- Download the executive summary
- Download the full report
- View the abstract and poster presented at Gender Summit 11 in November 2017
- Read the paper presented at the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) conference in June 2017
- Read the paper presented at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) conference in April 2018 on gender bias among engineering faculty
Check out SWE’s webinars and tools to help you address issues of gender and racial bias in the workplace: