Working with female engineers

In My Humble Opinion
21

One obvious difference is that software development requires a different set of skills. In most cases, if a program doesn’t work the first time around, you can change it quickly and try again. (There are exceptions to this rule, such as with tightly embedded systems, but usually you can get away with that approach.) The same technique can’t be used as easily in mechanical, electrical, civil or chemical engineering.

I would also argue that since women tend to have better verbal skills, they have an advantage when it comes to writing clean, maintainable code.

Now I haven’t looked at this issue closely, but I suspect that these differences help explain why male-female interactions are smoother among programmers and software engineers than among other engineers.

(BTW, I do think that the term “software engineer” is much abused. There’s a difference between being a programmer and being a software engineer. It’s a matter of analysis, technique, skill and discipline.)

22

True dat.

23

I have worked closely over the years with many electrical and chemical engineers, mostly male ones. I find them to be stubborn as a rule, they don’t like their opinons to be questioned. They tend to take questioning of any sort personally. The few women engineers I have worked with tend to be more open and willing to change their thoughts if a cognizant well thought out objection to something is presented to them. Lately there seem to be more of them at the semi-conductor plant I work at. (female engineers I mean) And I welcome it.

24

Executive Secretary checking in: I’ve worked closely with four female engineers, peripherally with quite a few others. Of the four, one was difficult to work with, but not really any more difficult than a “difficult” male engineer.

25

Over my 20 years in the aerospace (military) business, I suppose I’ve worked with (wild guess) 20-30 female engineers. I’ve never had problems as described in the OP. I shared an office with a female for 3-4 years, and can remember one project where I shared nearly equal responsibility for a project with one, and never had problems.

I can think of only one who struck me (and everybody) as pushy, but I think she was the kind that would have been pushy in any line of work.

I can also remember one who carried a huge chip on her shoulder about being a woman. You couldn’t talk to her about anything without getting an “attitude” that she thought no male could give her the respect she deserved- and if you didn’t pick up on her attitude, she’d tell you right out.

On the other hand, I can also remember one who always seemed to blend in perfectly with a group of males, but never tried (or wanted) to be “one of the guys”.

26

I’m all for chicks getting into engineering!

27

Finnie, if I ever have the chance, I’m gonna buy you a drink just for making me laugh that hard at work this morning.

In my experience, the male engineers (the younger ones) will give you a hellacious load of crap, then they’ll take this exact attitude of ‘you’re being unreasonably pushy/argumentative/strident’ when you turn around and hand some of their nastiness back to 'em. They can sure dish it out, but take it? Hah. A young, male engineer will also do things to you he wouldn’t dream of doing to one of his male peers, like call you the ‘girl in the department’ when you’re two years older than he is, etc.

However, it is fun once you’ve picked up on how to use your gender difference for Good. :smiley: I was the only engineer with privilege to use the shop by the Shop Steward in a unionized plant. Why? Because I was never, ever snooty to him (I respect an experienced tradesman - if he or she has been doing this longer than I’ve even been alive (!) of course they have forgotten more about it than I know.) Because I asked him to show me how to use any tool I didn’t know how, but I never interrupted when he was busy. Because I always, without fail, cleaned up and left everything stored in its proper place, even if I was only going to leave for two minutes.

Later, I learned that I could twist a vendor around my little finger, get whatever I needed on short notice, and even get mistakes and problems fixed with great alactricity merely because I never complained harshly or without cause, I was firm and clear about how I wanted it fixed, and I was reasonable and polite in my buisness at all times. I never threw a vendor out of my office. I worked two years in a union plant, and never had a single greivance filed against me (everyone else ran at least one every three months). When I left, all the vendors (whom I asked for references) also tried to hire me.

So… yes, the female mode of engineering thought might be a little different. It is, however, no less effective. In fact, in all my experience, I’d have to say it might even give me a slight advantage over the guys, to make up for my Never, Ever being included in the Good Ol’ Boys network.

28

This is pretty much my experience, except for the facial hair part.

Nah. I’ve seen a lot more wierd-looking male engineers than female same.

IMHO, a lot of the engineering stereotypes, while true enough, are derived from a single fundamental personality characteristic. They (myself included) tend to be highly motivated internally, rather than externally. So math and figuring and logic, books and formulae, etc., are joyful experiences while fashion, interpersonal relations and personal hygiene are unnecessary annoyances, at best, or insoluble conundrums in some cases.