Abstract
Women engineers form a small but integral
part of the South African and global engineering fraternity.
The resultant gender disparity in all technical professions
presents a significant challenge to women in the sector, as well
as to governments, corporates and higher education
institutions. If the future of engineering aims to be more
gender equitable, the attraction, education and retention of
technical women must be understood and addressed
effectively. Research was conducted over a two-year period
with nine technical women in South Africa to gain a deeper
understanding of these factors. The respondents agree that a
future exists for women engineers, but that current policies,
education structures and financial systems must be
restructured to make engineering a more attractive career for
women. The paper presents the research findings and
strategies for the future education and retention of technical
women in the engineering and built environment sectors.