An examination of the gender gap among Middle Eastern
students in Engineering: A systematized review

Narjes Khorsandi Koujel; Justin Charles Major

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Conference: 2025 Collaborative Network for Engineering & Computing Diversity (CoNECD)
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Publication Date: February 9, 2025
Start Date: February 9, 2025
End Date: February 11, 2025
Conference Session: Track 1: Technical Session 4: "An examination of the gender gap among Middle Eastern students in Engineering: A systematized review"
Tagged Topics: Diversity and 2025 CoNECD Paper Submissions
Page Count: 32
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/54069
Download Count: 6

Paper Authors

biography

Narjes Khorsandi Koujel Rowan University

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Narjes is a Ph.D. student in Engineering Education at Rowan University. She earned a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering in Iran and subsequently worked as an industrial engineer in the food industry for over 10 years. Narjes’ research and activism focuses on women in the Middle East. Particularly, she is focused on how resources, culture, and gendered norms impact their engineering identity development.

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biography

Justin Charles Major Rowan University orcid.org/0000-0002-3111-8509

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Dr. Justin C. Major (they/them) is an Assistant Professor of Experiential Engineering Education at Rowan University where they leads ASPIRE Lab (Advancing Student Pathways through Inequality Research in Engineering). Justin’s research focuses on low-income students, engineering belonging and marginalization mechanisms, adverse childhood experiences, and feminist approaches to EER, and connects these topics to broader understandings of student success in engineering. Justin completed their Ph.D. in Engineering Education (’22) and M.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics (’21) at Purdue University, and two B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and Secondary Mathematics Education at the University of Nevada, Reno (’17). Atop their education, Justin is a previous NSF Graduate Research Fellow and has won over a dozen awards for research, service, and activism related to marginalized communities, including the 2020 ASEE ERM Division Best Diversity Paper for their work on test anxiety. As a previous homeless and food-insecure student, Justin is eager to challenge and change engineering engineering education to be a pathway for socioeconomic mobility and broader systemic improvement rather than an additional barrier.

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Abstract

This systematized review examines the experiences of Middle Eastern women in engineering. Specifically, we sought to understand what barriers Middle Eastern women experience pursuing engineering. Despite global initiatives to promote gender equity in education and the workforce, significant disparities persist in male-dominated fields like engineering, where women are significantly underrepresented in both academic programs and professional roles. This underrepresentation is particularly pronounced in Middle Eastern countries, where specific cultural, social, and institutional factors create barriers for women who wish to pursue engineering. These factors include cultural norms, societal expectations, gender discrimination, and lack of role models and support systems for Middle Eastern women in engineering. To identify the scope of issues impacting Middle Eastern women, we conducted a systematized review of their experiences in engineering. We included peer-reviewed articles, conference papers, journal papers and reports published between 2000 and 2024 that were indexed in the database Education Source. Aside from the above criteria, articles were expected to include Middle Eastern women and expected to discuss the gender gap. A total of n=124 articles were returned amongst our initial search. After removal of articles that did not fit our search criteria via abstract- and full-text review, we reviewed a final n=33 articles. Our findings reveal that gender discrimination, cultural and social restrictions, and lack of access to educational resources and job opportunities are major barriers for women in engineering. Although, the lack of female role models and mentors in engineering fields exacerbates the gender gap. Despite these challenges, several strategies have shown promise in addressing these issues, including applying policies to promote equal opportunities, increasing awareness of the gender gap, and increasing Middle Eastern women’s motivation to participate in engineering. This review highlights the potential for change and improvement through targeted interventions and policies to reduce the gender gap in engineering education in Middle Eastern countries. By addressing the root causes of gender disparities and promoting gender equality, it is possible to enhance diversity and inclusivity in engineering, benefiting both the educational and professional landscapes in these regions.

Citation
Format

Khorsandi Koujel, N., & Major, J. C. (2025, February), An examination of the gender gap among Middle Eastern students in Engineering: A systematized review Paper presented at 2025 Collaborative Network for Engineering & Computing Diversity (CoNECD), San Antonio, Texas. https://peer.asee.org/54069

TY - CPAPER
AB - This systematized review examines the experiences of Middle Eastern women in engineering. Specifically, we sought to understand what barriers Middle Eastern women experience pursuing engineering. Despite global initiatives to promote gender equity in education and the workforce, significant disparities persist in male-dominated fields like engineering, where women are significantly underrepresented in both academic programs and professional roles. This underrepresentation is particularly pronounced in Middle Eastern countries, where specific cultural, social, and institutional factors create barriers for women who wish to pursue engineering. These factors include cultural norms, societal expectations, gender discrimination, and lack of role models and support systems for Middle Eastern women in engineering. To identify the scope of issues impacting Middle Eastern women, we conducted a systematized review of their experiences in engineering. We included peer-reviewed articles, conference papers, journal papers and reports published between 2000 and 2024 that were indexed in the database Education Source. Aside from the above criteria, articles were expected to include Middle Eastern women and expected to discuss the gender gap. A total of n=124 articles were returned amongst our initial search. After removal of articles that did not fit our search criteria via abstract- and full-text review, we reviewed a final n=33 articles.
Our findings reveal that gender discrimination, cultural and social restrictions, and lack of access to educational resources and job opportunities are major barriers for women in engineering. Although, the lack of female role models and mentors in engineering fields exacerbates the gender gap. Despite these challenges, several strategies have shown promise in addressing these issues, including applying policies to promote equal opportunities, increasing awareness of the gender gap, and increasing Middle Eastern women’s motivation to participate in engineering. This review highlights the potential for change and improvement through targeted interventions and policies to reduce the gender gap in engineering education in Middle Eastern countries. By addressing the root causes of gender disparities and promoting gender equality, it is possible to enhance diversity and inclusivity in engineering, benefiting both the educational and professional landscapes in these regions.

AU - Narjes Khorsandi Koujel
AU - Justin Charles Major
CY - San Antonio, Texas
DA - 2025/02/09
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - An examination of the gender gap among Middle Eastern
students in Engineering: A systematized review

UR - https://peer.asee.org/54069
ER -