Women engineers’ advancement to management and leadership roles – enabling resources and implications for higher education

Abstract

Little is known about women engineers’ career advancement, the factors that support their progression, or the role that formal education plays in women engineers’ career advancement. Phenomenological analysis of interviews with women engineers in Australia revealed individual, relational and structural influences acting concurrently and interactively that determine, facilitate and constrain their transitions to manager and leader. Building knowledge and skill occurred through combinations of on-the-job learning, and professional development, including formal education. These approaches provided valuable individual and relational resources for women, enabling them to navigate structural obstacles. However, formal education beyond the undergraduate degree was not the primary approach taken by women engineers to support career advancement. Implications for engineering education are discussed.