Attraction and Retention of Women in Engineering

With the advance of digital society it is imperative to attract and retain women specialists in engineering. To identify gender patterns of career choice in Russia and the problems Russian women specialists face while adapting to work environments in STEM, we conducted a series of expert interviews with young women engineers in the spring of 2018 and compared the data with the results of the 2013-2014 studies. We came to the conclusion that although some of the professional gender-related stereotypes still persist, they also undergo active transformation. Women's success in undergraduate STEM education makes them feel more empowered to continue their post-graduate studies and to pursue careers in engineering. We also found that the current policy of attracting more women to the field of engineering, high-tech industries and innovation has had a certain effect on women's choice of profession and career plans. The results of our research can be used for designing more gender balanced personnel policies and strategies to help women overcome structural barriers in their professional development and career advancement in STEM.