Career and motherhood in engineering: Cultural dilemmas and individualistic solutions

Abstract

This paper considers what career identities were being developed by women professional engineers working in industry, in order to manage the cultural constraints posed by gender and career in engineering. Using career history data from 15 women, the different ways in which the women managed the cultural expectation of motherhood with their developing careers is examined. The individualistic nature of their solutions was apparent. In addition their solutions were in harmony with the company's needs. These women did not expect the organization to have to change to better enable them to combine their public and private work responsibilities.