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Session 3560

Women in Engineering in Bangladesh and the USA: A Comparative Study Kauser Jahan, Zenaida O. Keil, Harriet Hartman Rowan University and J.R. Choudhury Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology

Abstract: This paper focuses on the comparison of women in engineering in two countries (Bangladesh and the USA) which are miles apart not only geographically but also in social and cultural values. Engineering has traditionally been a male dominated profession. While progress is being made in encouraging women in engineering and technical fields, the progress rate has been very slow. Data from surveys indicate that the factors affecting recruitment and retention of women in engineering are very similar in both countries. The fact that the engineering profession is male dominated, is physically demanding and requires sound mathematical and scientific background are the major hurdles in attracting women in engineering. While workshops, special courses, seminars, congenial academic and workplace environments designed to improve the numbers of women in engineering are essential, attitude changes in society towards women in all countries has to change to encourage women to select engineering as a profession.

Introduction: This paper focuses on factors that impact attraction and retention of women in the engineering profession both in Bangladesh and the USA. Bangladesh is a small country located in south-east Asia with a population of 90 million people. It currently has four state funded engineering colleges and one state funded engineering university. Some private institutions are also being established. Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) is the oldest institution for the study of engineering and architecture in Bangladesh. The history of this institution dates back to the days of Dhaka Survey School which was established in 1876 to train surveyors for the then government of Bengal of British India. As the years passed away the survey school was upgraded to the Ahsanullah Engineering College offering diploma courses in

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Keil, Z. O., & Hartman, H., & Jahan, K. (1998, June), Women In Engineering In Bangladesh And The Usa: A Comparative Study Paper presented at 1998 Annual Conference, Seattle, Washington. 10.18260/1-2--7531