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What About Women Engineers?

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of : ] i n ! c r r m a r r i a g e whii h ::iili:,!cs MSI :: ;-,ii-.eral aspci l> as ihe following, ,i: '! in i r n . i l nt ilii p;>-t t i n w a r s t o w a r d e a r l i e r msirriagc-s results in c o m p l e t i n g (he p c r : o d ot c h i l d r e a r i n g at .in e a r l i e r a g e . h i R e d u c t i o n of t h e t i m e necessary for domestic, d u t i e s a n d r c d i u t i o n ot t h e n u m b e r of w o r k i n g h o u r s in industry have increasingh d r a w n married w o m e n inro e m p l o y m e n t . Mini) e s t a b l i s h e d w o m e n e n g i n e e r s h a \ e c»eii r o u n d it i n t e r e s t i n g a n d p r o f : t a b l e ro c a r r y on p a r t t i m e , free-lance, o r " c o n s u l t i n g " w o r k f r o m t h e i r h o m e s . w h i l e t h e i r c h i l d r e n w e r e s m a l l . • Hy thi-, m e a n s , also, t h c ) c o n t r i v e t o k e e p lip-to d a t e a n d have 'ess n e e d for r e f r e s h e r courses a d v i s e d for t h o s e w h o r e s u m e t h e i r p r o f e s s i o n after a l a p s e of tec- >ears o r m o r e . ci " ( l i e c o m p a n i o n a t e , cqu.iiitari.tn family is r e p l a c i n g t h e p a t r i a r c h a l , a u t h o r i t a r i a n t.imily," to a n e x t e n t t h a t "ilie m a r r i e d c a r e e r w o m a n is m i l l i n g g r e a t e r c u l t u r a l ai l e p t a n i e . ' - ' W h e t h e r o r not iheSe c h a n g e s will u l t i m a t e l y be for t h e b e t t e r c a n n o t be p r e d i c t e d , b u t t h e y h a \ e u n d o u b t e d K a r r i v e d a n d w e must face t h e m . W h i l e acceptance- of t h e w o m a n p r o f e s s i o n a l e n g i n e e r may lag a little, it. lo.i, is o n the w a y . Lijtn Ohiljil, I h e superficial prejudii.es i.utiined h e r e as e x a m p i . s . will, for t h e most p a r t , be o v e i c o m c after a little mo-efin.e a n d e x p e r i e n c e . Uu: t h e ) , as w e l l as o t h e r s , ar,. U ' I f o r t u n a i e l y based o n l o n c e p i s o l d e r t h a n c i v i l i z a t i o n . J \ v s i d e n t D u h r i d g e n o t e s th.n " s o u a l c u s t o m r e q u i r e s little g i r l s t o p l a y w i t h d o l l s i n s t i a d of electric t r a i n s . " l o d i ; , . from h e r i n f a n c v . i n i l u e n c e s a n d p r e s s u r e s a r e b r o u g h t to b e a r o n tin- girl to l e a r n .i-:<l v a l u e only t h e a n c i e n t . a i tur.illv a p p r i s e d roK of i h e iiousewilV a n d m o t h i r . - ' Ma::;. m o t h e r s i a n d t a t h e r s i d o n o t e v e n !• n o w w h a t a m o d e r n e n g i n e e r does. In a r e c e n t series ot 16 i n t e r v i e w s w i t h m e n a n d w o m e n of m a n y O c c u p a t i o n s w l i o w e r e aski d t o define at: e n g i n e e r , the w r i t e r was r e p e a t e d l y t o l d t h a t ' h e r u n s a l o c o m o t i v e " o r "is in c h a r g e ot t h e school f u r n a c e . " l ) n b e i n g asked v h o w a s r e s p o n s i b l e t o r t h e i r electric a p p l i a n c e s . T5 ', o t t h e w o m e n g a v e t h e c o m p a n y t r a d e n a m e , "Cr.f..." " W e s t i n g h o u s e . " etc.. a n d h a d a p p a r e n t l ) n o ide.i t h a t i n d i v i d u a l e n g i n e e r s , o r r e s e a r c h r e a m s of e n g i ::cers. w e r e r e s p o n s i b l e for the elesigr. Teachers t e n d to r e l a x i n t e l l e c t u a l s t a n d a r d s for g i r i s ' a n d m a s s m e d i a ' e x t o l ! file g l a m o r g i r l . " T h e s e i n g r a i n e d social ideas olten evtend lo the c a m p u s and prejudice administrators a g a i n s t e n c c n . r a g i n g w o n u n l o e n t e r t h e engine:ering p r o fession. A story is told ot ' o n e a b l e a n d h i g h l j m o t i v a t e d w o m a n w h o was o r i g i n a l l y refused .idmissii.n t o r u e e n g i n e e r i n g s c h o o l of her h o m e Slate, w h o . . . e n r o l l e d e l s e w h e r e . eeimpli-ted t w o years, in o n e a n d r e t u r n e d — - t h i s t i m e t o lie a d m i t t e i i . . . . H e r w o r k pi r i o r m a n c e h a s b e e n s u c h th.iL sile h a s l o r s o m e l i m e h e a d e d t h e s p i e q u a t i o n s staff in t h e

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