The Effect of Male to Female Ratios on Female Students in Engineering and Technical Science Majors

According to an article written by fictiv corporation, 16.1% of employed persons in architecture and engineering positions in the US in 2022 consists of women.This study examines perceptions of male and female students in engineering classes particularly focusing on the impact of the female-to-male ratio on female students.The study presents survey results shedding light on the students' perceptions within group settings.By exploring these dynamics, the research aims to contribute to a better understanding of gender dynamics in engineering education.Focusing on first-year engineering students at* Author's University*, the impact of the gender distributions in teams during fall semester projects is analyzed.In a first-year program comprised of an introduction to engineering design course focused on the engineering tools and applications and a communications course emphasizing teamwork and design skills, this study employs an anonymous survey to gather perspectives from students in various team gender-composition categories: Majority Male, Majority Female, All Male, All Female, and Even Gender.The survey questions cover participant's gender identification, group composition, communication effectiveness, perceived respect, and confidence in expressing opinions.Responses, collected in 2022 and 2023, highlight consistent challenges faced by female students in majority male groups.Consequently, female students reported lowest levels in all categories when placed in a majority male group in both cohorts, 2022 and 2023.Future research will expand the survey to upper-level classes and explore diverse engineering concentrations.Once the factors that contribute to the low percentage of female engineering graduates are identified, we hope to be able to foster increased participation and persistence of female identifying students in engineering and technical sciences.Hypothesis -Male to female ratios in group settings affect how female students will succeed in engineering and technical science majors.