Women's Experiences in Latin American Engineering Contexts: A Systematic Literature Review

This research full paper investigates women's experiences within the Latin American engineering context using a systematic literature review process. Situated within a broader research project about women's intention of attrition from the engineering workforce in Colombia, this review aimed to contextualize the project within existing scholarship. While research on women's attrition from engineering roles is common in the United States, a similar exploration is lacking in Latin American countries. However, we anticipated the existence of literature detailing women's experiences in engineering workplaces across Latin America, which we sought to compile and analyze to establish background information for the project. Given the limited literature specific to Colombia alone, our focus extended to encompass other Latin American countries sharing cultural similarities. Following the application of exclusion criteria, we reviewed n=12 peer-reviewed papers. This review revealed a scarcity of research on women's experiences in engineering environments in Latin America, focusing on only four countries within the region: Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Colombia. Findings in the literature showed that women encounter barriers to entering the engineering job market, and often experience discrimination, harassment and undervaluation once they are in the field. Particularly concerning is the overt and derogatory nature of discrimination in certain sectors. Despite these challenges, women persevere in their careers, driven by the desire to pave the way for other women and contribute to their countries' advancement. There remains a need to enhance the quality of research studies on women's experiences and representation in the Latin American engineering sector. Conducting more research on gender inequalities in the Latin American engineering workplace is essential to identify strategies for achieving gender parity within the field.