In the fields of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), females comprise only 19% of college students and 9% of industry workers. Many women, with the capability to excel in and enjoy EECS, never even consider these disciplines because they are discouraged by social and educational barriers surrounding these traditionally male-dominated fields. In an effort sponsored by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Eta Kappa Nu (HKN) chapter and Microsoft Corporation, the MIT Women’s Initiative has been developed to address this problem at a stage when high school women are exploring potential majors and careers as they decide which universities to attend. In January 1999, members of the MIT Women’s Initiative made presentations to high school students across the country with the goal of encouraging young women to consider futures in engineering.

In this first year of the Women's Initiative, 18 MIT women studying EECS visited 42 high schools in ten states across the country. They held over 70 presentations and spoke with more than 1,800 students, of whom nearly 1,300 were female. In addition to educating and motivating high school students, the Women's Initiative has collected a tremendous amount of first-hand information from these students through discussions and surveys. This information will be valuable in more clearly defining the source of the lack of women in engineering as well as potential remedies.

The purpose of this paper is to provide insight as to why fewer females choose to enter engineering fields after high school and to evaluate the effectiveness of the Women's Initiative. First, I will explain the goals and development of the Women's Initiative. Based upon the responses received from the high school students through surveys and conversations, I will analyze relevant trends among the students and will evaluate the impact of the presentations. Finally, I will make recommendations for this project and similar projects working to encourage women in engineering.

The MIT Women's Initiative seeks to address the problem of low female enrollment in engineering at an early stage in the educational pipeline. Sending female college students across the country to share their personal EECS experiences with high school women seems an effective way to reach a large and diverse population of students. The program is intended not to recruit for MIT, but to provide information and serve as a general invitation for high school women to consider the fields of EECS.

The Women's Initiative hopes to empower and motivate high school girls, especially those who may be deterred from entering a technical field for reasons based on misconceptions. The rationale behind this project underscores the importance of creating personalized interaction between high school women and college women. By meeting female role models in EECS, high school women will be more likely to seriously consider these fields as career options. High school women will identify more closely with college students than with college recruiters and industry professionals.

The Women's Initiative also wants to demystify the field of engineering and dispel stereotypes. Many high school students regard EECS as depicted in the media - namely, they envision Dilbert sitting in a cubicle and staring at a computer screen all day. Showing the enthusiasm MIT women have for their work and demonstrating fun projects will help combat the notion that EE and CS are boring, noncreative fields for men only.

Further, the Women's Initiative seeks to foster a supportive attitude from males. Obviously, the success of women in engineering does not depend on women alone. Women who do choose to enter engineering will work with men in both college and the workplace. It is important that men are supportive of women in these roles and respect women as competent and capable contributors in technical fields.

Eighteen enthusiastic women studying EECS at MIT were selected to participate in the Women's Initiative. As decided by these MIT presenters during training sessions, the presentations were designed to be interactive discussions about engineering and women in engineering. Collectively, the MIT women developed as key objectives that their presentations should: (1) explain what engineering and EECS are about, (2) show that many interdisciplinary applications exist within EECS, (3) demonstrate that EECS can be fun and creative, and (4) show that women are capable of excelling in and enjoying EECS.

With these goals in mind, presentations were developed so that the presenters could connect with their audiences as students and as women. Presentations included activities to engage the high school students in thinking about engineering ideas, information about EECS and how the MIT women chose their fields of study, demonstrations from projects the presenters had worked on at MIT and during summer internships, and anecdotal stories about women in engineering.

Each presentation team, comprised of two MIT women, incorporated some type of activity into the presentations. For example, one team had each high school student build a simple circuit to be used in testing the electrical conductivity of materials. Another team engaged the students in an engineering design exercise by discussing the design and development of audio devices from records to cassette tapes to compact discs. Another team provided a high level explanation of how a computer works by having the students and teachers act out the different parts of a computer. Teams also incorporated icebreaking activities such as a tower building contest and a ball passing exercise, both of which were related to engineering skills.

The MIT women also felt it was very useful to incorporate many visual aids and demonstrations in their presentations in order to interest the students in their projects. Teams showed projects including autonomous robots, printed circuit boards, disassembled CD players, lasers, holograms, high tech small screen displays, and cellular phones. One team demonstrated how to build a speaker out of only wire, magnets, and a paper cup.

In describing the fields of EECS, each presenter added a personal touch to the presentations by providing her own definitions of engineering. Presenters also shared personal experiences ranging from classes they had taken to projects on which they had worked. Some of these experiences included projects at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the National Security Agency, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the MIT Media Lab, high schools in China, and many companies in the engineering industry.

Additionally, the women felt it was important to discuss EECS from a student perspective. Many presenters discussed how they chose EECS as a field of study as well as what it is like to be a college student studying EECS. They also provided suggestions for steps that might prove helpful in preparing for an engineering education and career. After the presentations, the MIT women answered students’ individual questions and provided contact information so that the students could get in touch with members of the Women’s Initiative in the future.

The MIT women also realized that it was extremely important to adapt the presentations to the level of each audience. The presenters certainly did not want to give the false impression that EE and CS are easy fields to study; however, they did want to convey to the girls that achieving success in these areas is a realistic goal. Therefore, the MIT women presented EECS as challenging and rewarding work. After providing simplified explanations of material, the presenters incorporated thought provoking discussions. The MIT women adjusted the difficulty level of their presentations to challenge the students while maintaining a comfortable and understandable atmosphere.

The primary objective of these presentations was to emphasize women in engineering. Presenters took several different approaches to achieving this end. First, the presenters felt that they would present a positive image of women in engineering by example. Second, most of the audiences were comprised of all or mostly female students. Finally, some presenters felt comfortable discussing issues of women in engineering openly, whereas others chose, more subtly, to incorporate relevant stories about women in engineering and to address gender related questions raised by the students.

Clearly, the aim of the Women's Initiative is not to convince all young women that they should become engineers. The Women's Initiative is not trying to mislead students or to say that the presenters typify engineers; rather, the presentations are intended to show that engineering stereotypes are not truly representative of engineers and that women are capable of succeeding in technical fields. The Women's Initiative hopes to instill a sense of confidence in these high school girls and excite those who may have unrecognized interests in engineering.

After the presentations, surveys were completed and returned by nearly 1,300 high school students (863 girls and 433 boys). In these surveys, the students provided information about their math and science backgrounds, the level of classes they have taken, their parents' occupations, their current college and career goals, and their perceptions of engineering. The students also evaluated the presentations and indicated how the presentations influenced their knowledge of and interest in engineering and EECS. Additionally, students noted their favorite and least favorite parts of the presentations and made general comments.

The students surveyed do not represent a random sample of high school students since specific audiences were targeted. The organizers of this project, however, did seek to reach a cross-section of students, and presentations were made at public schools, private schools, magnet programs, all-girls schools, less privileged schools, affluent schools, and schools with many minority students. Some experimental cases such as a middle school, a school nationally renowned for its math and science magnet program, and schools in the Silicon Valley area were included as well. With input from the MIT women, teachers and administrators at each school selected the audiences. Many of the presentations targeted female audiences, math and science classes, students in magnet programs, and individual students interested in attending the presentations. Nonetheless, the data provides interesting insight into differences among these students according to classifications such as gender, geographic location, educational background, and family background.

On the surveys, the students were asked to describe their perceptions of EECS prior to the presentation. This question was open-ended to allow the students to write about any aspects they chose. Students typically responded by discussing their knowledge of the field, their interest in EECS, related job opportunities, the difficulty level of EECS, and stereotypes of engineers and engineering jobs. The students were then asked to indicate if the presentations had changed their perceptions and, if so, to describe how.

The perceptions shared by the students were categorized into three groups. Positive responses included comments that conveyed an affirmative attitude toward EECS. The most common positive responses were that EECS seems interesting, that many job opportunities exist in EECS, that engineers earn good money, and that engineers are intelligent and well respected. Responses of a negative nature reflected less desirable attributes of EECS. These negative responses included comments that electrical engineers and computer scientists seem 'nerdy', that EECS is too difficult and boring, that few job opportunities exist in EECS, and that the field is for men only. In fact, a surprising number of students described computer scientists as sitting in cubicles and staring at computer screens all day. The third category included answers that were neutral or that contained an equal number of positive and negative responses. For example, some students simply stated that electrical engineers design and build electronic devices, while other students described EECS as a boring field with good job opportunities.

Of the female students, only 13% described EECS in positive terms before the presentations, while 43% regarded EECS in negative terms. Most commonly, the girls indicated that EECS seemed boring and too difficult for them or that there were very few opportunities in EECS. In contrast, 25% of the males responded positively to this question, and 23% of the males responded negatively. The remaining students either did not reply to this question or responded in a neutral manner.

Most students associated a certain intelligence with engineering, but these comments were presented in different manners by boys and girls. Many of the girls described engineering along the lines of "a field only for super smart people who are really good at math and science." The girls seemed much more intimidated by the associated difficulty and often considered these technical fields as too difficult for themselves. The boys, on the other hand, more often viewed engineering as challenging work done by intelligent people and associated themselves with these jobs. One boy in Texas, with plans to pursue a career in electrical engineering, wrote, "This field [EECS] is very difficult and many people drop out of it. Above all, you must have the strength to continue…. I feel confident in becoming an electrical engineer; it's tough and rewarding."

Many girls felt that only males were interested in EECS. One girl commented that "girls don't like technical stuff, but boys do." A junior girl in California assumed, "basically that it [EECS] was mostly interesting to guys."

Answers to this question also varied by geographic region. Many students in the Silicon Valley area thought that most engineers were Asian males. A strong majority of the students whose parents worked as engineers in Silicon Valley noted that engineers make good money, whereas students in Connecticut thought that there were few job opportunities in EECS.

After the presentations, however, the overall tone of these perceptions became more similar between girls and boys: 78% of the girls and 71% of the boys viewed EECS in a positive manner, while only 6% of the girls and 1% of the boys made negative comments about EECS. Most students noted that they were surprised to learn about the breadth of EECS and its interdisciplinary applications, the many job opportunities, and the interesting projects undertaken within EECS.

The perceptions of EECS changed more dramatically for the girls than for the boys. Nearly 80% of the girls indicated that the presentations changed their perceptions of EECS in some way, while 50% of the boys' opinions were altered. Most likely, the reason for this difference is that the girls knew much less about EECS before the presentations. Also, more of the girls made initial comments that EECS was for men only. After seeing successful female electrical engineers and computer scientists, these feelings were changed.

The students were also asked to indicate their current academic and career goals, or at least which fields of study they felt most likely to pursue. The students' preferences varied greatly by gender and geographic location.

In all, 44% of the boys indicated an interest in some type of engineering, with 28% leaning toward EECS. Only 13% of the girls designated an interest in engineering, with 6% for EECS. Over 18% of the girls showed a preference for math and science, compared to 9% of the boys. These numbers show that more boys than girls were considering math or science related fields. However, of the students interested in math and science related fields, the boys generally preferred the applied fields of engineering, while the girls preferred the pure sciences of biology, chemistry, and mathematics. Over 13% of the girls showed an interest in studying liberal arts, while only 3% of the boys expressed an interest in this area. Also, 18% of the girls expressed an interest in entering the medical field, compared to only 9% of the boys. Similar proportions of boys and girls were interested in law, the fine arts, business, and other fields. About 20% of each the boys and the girls were undecided.

Geographic location seemed to influence, to some extent, what type of jobs the students were most interested in pursuing. Girls in the Northeast region of the United States generally seemed to be less interested in engineering and more interested in studying liberal arts. In Connecticut and Rhode Island, for example, only 3% of the girls indicated an interest in studying engineering, while 30% showed a preference for liberal arts fields. Although few surveys were returned by students in Massachusetts and New York, less than 1% of the girls in these states indicated an interest in pursuing engineering.

In general, students with parents who worked in the engineering industry did not seem to be more inclined to pursue engineering in college. Excluding the California schools, 18% of the students had at least one parent who worked in an engineering related field. Specifically, 14% of the girls and 28% of the boys fit into this category. In the Silicon Valley area, an overwhelming 65% of the girls and 53% of the boys had parents who worked in the engineering industry. Still, only 15% of these girls showed an interest in engineering, whereas 33% of the boys planned to enter EECS related fields. In Texas, only 4% of the girls had parents in the engineering industry, yet 21% of these girls expressed an interest in engineering.

Even if their parents did not work in the industry, students did seem to be influenced by the most common occupations of their local areas. For example, many students in Houston expressed an interest in working at NASA's nearby Johnson Space Center or in conjunction with the Texas Medical Center. Also, a plurality of the male students in the Silicon Valley area noted that they were considering fields in EECS.

Academic background also seemed to play a role in students' career inclinations. Of the students surveyed, 43% of the boys and 20% of the girls had taken some type of computer science class. Of the boys who had taken computer science, 53% indicated that they were interested in pursuing an EECS related field. This percentage is much higher than the 28% of all boys who were interested in EECS. In contrast, only 16% of the girls who had taken a computer science class expressed an interest in pursuing EECS, though this number is still much higher than the average 6% of the girls who were interested in EECS.

Overall, the high school girls seemed to know much less than the boys about engineering and were less interested in engineering before the presentations. Several girls admitted that they thought engineers were electricians, maintenance workers, and train drivers.

As expected, students with parents who work in engineering fields knew more about engineering than those students who did not have parents with technical jobs. Of these students, however, the boys expressed a greater knowledge of their parents' engineering jobs than did the girls. Most of the boys were able to explain what their parents did. In fact, many boys were able to describe their parents' occupations in detail. More girls, however, were unable to explain what their parents did, and some girls were unable even to name the types of engineering that their parents practiced.

While 18% of the students had at least one parent who worked in an engineering related field, only 4% of the students had mothers who worked in the engineering industry. Nearly all of the students with mothers in engineering also had fathers in engineering.

Numerous students, including those enrolled in pre-engineering programs, failed to recognize the difference between engineers and technicians. Some pre-engineering programs at the high schools seemed to give students a false impression of what engineering is. While the hands-on experience with computers offered by these programs is undoubtedly valuable to their education, students enrolled in these programs often took classes in computer maintenance and equated engineering with the work of a technician. Thus, they viewed engineering as involving repair work instead of design and development. Those students who did take a rudimentary computer science class as part of a pre-engineering curriculum often expressed their frustration with computers and their dislike for computer programming. In contrast, students with strong math and science backgrounds who took advanced placement computer programming generally were more enthused about computers and planned to take more programming classes.

Overall, 84% of the students strongly agreed that they found the presentations to be interesting and engaging. More than 50% of the students indicated that the presentations strongly increased their interest in engineering in general. Most of all, the students were surprised and impressed by the fun applications of engineering as well as by the need for skills such as communication, teamwork, and creativity. More narrowly, students' interest in EECS was influenced slightly less.

All of the students who expressed an interest in engineering before the presentations became even more interested in the field after the presentations. Many students felt that they had a better understanding of what the field entails as well as job opportunities. Students enjoyed learning about specific fields of engineering and the broad array of academic and career opportunities within EECS. A freshman girl in Texas wrote, "I thought engineering was fascinating. I had thought of computer science as a future job. This [presentation] gave me even more inspiration to look further into these fields." Many of these students expressed a desire to take more engineering and computer programming classes. In fact, one girl in Rhode Island wrote, "I plan to be more serious about school now because I want to be an engineer."

Other students stated from the onset that engineering was not for them. Although many of these students indicated that they learned a lot about engineering and gained interest in the field, some students still felt that it was not the appropriate field for them. In fact, many of these girls even apologized for not being interested in EECS. Others said that they would consider engineering and would like to incorporate engineering with their other interests. For instance, one junior girl in Connecticut originally expressed an interest in environmental studies and law. After the presentation, she wrote, "I now have a totally different view of these fields [EECS]. I see the ingenuity and creativity of these subjects and realize the many opening facets of such a field. I had no idea the interest I would pick up for such a subject as engineering or that I would truly consider it as a branch of my future. Surprisingly for me, I am really going to look into incorporating environmental work and engineering."

Nearly all of the students agreed that the presentations increased their knowledge of engineering. More girls (78%) than boys (63%) felt that they had gained knowledge about engineering.

Many of the students indicated either that they did not know much about engineering or had not given much thought to the subject before the presentations. Most of these students commented that they learned a great deal about engineering in terms of what engineers do, what areas the field includes, and what job opportunities exist. Many students asked about current issues in technology such as the Year 2000 problem and the Internet. The students liked learning something from the presentations and appreciated the fact that the presentations "made them think."

The students also appreciated the explanation of specific examples to which they could relate. The presenters incorporated examples of everyday items such as computers, microwaves, compact discs, and cellular phones into their discussions. This association made engineering seem more tangible. The students enjoyed learning how engineering, particularly EECS, is an integral part of their everyday lives.

Additionally, many girls felt that it would be necessary to know about engineering before pursuing such a discipline in college. After the presentations, they felt more comfortable knowing that this preconception was not true, especially after hearing presenters' personal stories about never having taken an engineering or computer programming class before college. A girl in Texas wrote, "At first I thought that in order to be an electrical engineer you had to know a lot of engineering and that you had to be experienced in this, but now I see that you go to college to learn about it more."

Perhaps the most disturbing attitude expressed by the girls was the overwhelming lack of confidence in their own academic abilities. Even girls in advanced placement math and science classes questioned their own abilities to tackle technical fields that rely heavily on math and science. Whether based on perception or reality, this lack of confidence definitely inhibits the girls' achievement of success of which they clearly are capable.

By learning from the presentations, the girls experienced first-hand that they are capable of learning about technology. The students responded positively to the achievable manner in which the material was presented. One girl in Texas taking advanced math classes wrote, "I am intimidated by the computer science field because of all the math and science involved…. I am much more informed now and definitely more interested. You make it seem much easier to accomplish!" A junior in Florida who expressed an interest in engineering wrote, "I thought engineering was an extremely difficult, tedious, and thus intimidating field to enter. However, after listening to this presentation, I feel more comforted and less intimidated."

After participating in a game to act out the functions of a microprocessor, a senior in Florida wrote, "I thought that it [engineering] would be too difficult to understand and that I would be the only one that didn't know everything if I choose engineering as my major. It was nice to realize that I could understand some of the processes that take place."

The students also responded to the idea that it is important to have an interest in problem solving and design rather than an incredible aptitude for math and science. A girl in Connecticut taking advanced math and science classes wrote, "It [EECS] seems much more exciting and tangible for a person like myself who isn't exactly a whiz when it comes to math."

Many girls initially felt that engineering was entirely too difficult for them; however, after the presentations, they began to view these difficulties more as challenges rather than obstacles and to focus on the interesting parts of engineering. Before the presentation, a freshman in Rhode Island described engineering as "a boring job that is too hard for me." After the presentation, she wrote that the field looked "fun and challenging." A junior in Florida commented, "I still think that it is a hard course to take, but I now know that women do it as well."

Other girls felt intimidated by the fact that they had little or no experience in computer programming or working with electronics. Many of the presenters shared personal stories of feeling the same way during high school or early in their college careers. One junior in Texas wrote, "I knew that there was a need for women, but after I took a course in electrical engineering at New Mexico Tech this past summer, I thought that it was too hard and that I might not be able to do it. Now I am encouraged that there are more women in the field who can make it."

In fact, many of the students benefited from personal contact with the MIT women and the images they presented. The word choice used in their responses reflected this impact. A senior in California wrote, "I knew that the fields were very male dominated, but I heard that there were a lot of opportunities for women." After the presentation, she wrote, "I see that women have opportunities in the field." [emphasis added]

When asked to rate the presenters in terms of communication, preparation, and effectiveness, the students agreed that the presenters did an excellent job. A freshman in Virginia wrote, "The girls presenting were really laid back and personable, not at all like the stereotypes." A girl in Connecticut commented that the presenters were "very knowledgeable and enthusiastic in this field [EECS], and it was encouraging to see this."

The high school girls did seem to identify with the presenters as both women and students. In the surveys, the boys most often referred to the MIT students as 'the presenters', while the girls more frequently referred to the MIT women by name. Also, more of the girls than the boys indicated that their favorite parts of the presentations were the personal experiences shared by the MIT women.

Even girls who remained uninterested in engineering as a potential field of study and career were glad to see women who were successful in "a man's field." One girl in Connecticut wrote, "I have never really met any women who are interested in computer science or electrical engineering. I have never met anyone from MIT either. I had a different idea of these people before."

Many students also connected with the presenters and were able to envision themselves pursuing similar goals. A girl in Texas, who had never really thought about engineering before, wrote that "doing something in engineering could be something I see myself doing in the future."

Overall, the students responded most positively to the informal and interactive nature of the presentations. They appreciated learning about engineering in a fun way and being treated by the presenters as intelligent peers. This method of communication, which allows students to identify with the presenters, should be continued in future presentations.

The presentations developed by the Women's Initiative were best suited for high school students. Some seniors felt that it was too late in their educational careers to consider new fields; however, most seniors were still open to ideas pertaining to what they would study in college. Middle school students seemed to be too young to appreciate fully the limited scope of the presentations as well as the more distant concepts of college and careers. Presenters found that it was necessary to discuss engineering in general, instead of a more detailed discussion of EECS, with these younger students.

The degree of success achieved through the presentations also reflected the enthusiasm conveyed by the teachers. When their teachers shared an enthusiasm for the presentations, students participated more readily in the activities. It was helpful to have the teachers advertise the project energetically to the students so that the students were excited from the beginning of the presentations.

Presentations were made to both all-female audiences and audiences comprised of male and female students. The all-female audiences were intended to reach as many female students as possible. The presenters did not want the boys to dominate classroom discussions or the girls to be intimidated about asking questions. On the other hand, the presenters did not want to exclude boys who were interested in learning about EECS or to foster resentment from the boys. In some schools, the girls did seem more timid than the boys about asking questions and looking at the demonstrations after the presentations; however, this shyness occurred in audiences comprised of only females and those comprised of both males and females. The interactive participation at the beginning of the presentations seemed most effective in getting the students, both males and females, comfortable with participating in the presentations and working together. Furthermore, as long as a high percentage of females attend, the presentations should be open to all students.

All of the students were encouraged to keep in touch with the MIT women after the presentations through mail and e-mail. A few students did write letters to thank the presenters and to ask follow up questions, usually regarding what classes to take and how to prepare for engineering in college. Ongoing contact with female role models would be beneficial to the students, and such communication after the presentations should be encouraged to a greater extent.

The MIT Women's Initiative certainly delivered an enthusiastic and positive message to the participating high school students across the country. As evidenced by comments from the students, the presenters did achieve their goals of educating, fascinating, and empowering young women to consider technical fields of study and careers. For many students, the presentations served as catalysts to get them thinking about new and challenging possibilities for their own futures; for some girls, the presentations even served as pivotal moments in their decisions to pursue engineering.

Nonetheless, the long term success of efforts to encourage women in engineering depends on the continual reinforcement of these ideas through families, schools, and the media. High school students are impressionable. Young women need to see images of competent, confident, and respected women in nontraditional roles in order to know that they are capable of succeeding as well. The MIT Women's Initiative has started to make such an impression on young women and hopes to perpetuate a larger movement to fulfill this challenge in the future.