P ac ice Pape
Recommended ci a ion: Fiedle , L. A. P. (2025). Feminis Pe spec i es in
Enginee ing Educa ion: A Teaching Ini ia i e o S uc u al Change. In
Kangaslampi, R., Langie, G., Jä inen, H.-M., & Nagy, B. (Eds.), SEFI 53 d Annual
Con e ence. Eu opean Socie y o Enginee ing Educa ion (SEFI), Tampe e,
Finland. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17631234.
This Con e ence Pape is b ough o you o open access by he 53 d Annual Con e ence
o he Eu opean Socie y o Enginee ing Educa ion (SEFI) a Tampe e Uni e si y in
Tampe e, Finland. This wo k is licensed unde a C ea i e Commons
A ibu ion-NonComme cial-Sha e Alike 4.0 In e na ional License.
Feminis Pe spec i es in Enginee ing Educa ion: A Teaching
Ini ia i e o S uc u al Change
1.1 L. Fiedle a,
1
a Technical Uni e si y Be lin, Be lin, Ge many, 0000-0001-7734-9903
Con e ence Key A eas: Di e si y, equi y and inclusion in ou uni e si ies and in ou
eaching; enginee ing e hics educa ion
Keywo ds: eminis enginee ing, DEI, cons uc ionis , s uden pa icipa ion
ABSTRACT
This pape p esen s and e alua es a eaching ini ia i e de eloped wi hin he one-
yea p ojec Feminis ische Technike hik in Leh e und Fo schung (FeTe), which
aimed o enhance gende sensi i i y in enginee ing educa ion a he Facul y V –
Mechanical Enginee ing and T anspo -Sys ems a he Technical Uni e si y Be lin.
The ini ia i e was designed in esponse o he pe sis en unde ep esen a ion o
women in enginee ing and sough o implemen s uden -led s a egies o add ess
hese dispa i ies.
The p ojec was s uc u ed in wo phases. In he i s phase, s uden s pa icipa ed in
a semina whe e hey explo ed heo e ical pe spec i es on he co-cons uc ion o
gende and echnology, examined gende inequali ies in enginee ing educa ion and
p ac ice, and s udied eminis design me hods aimed a add essing hese issues. In
he second phase, s uden s engaged in hands-on p ojec s, de eloping ma e ials o
p omo e gende sensi i i y in enginee ing educa ion. Following a cons uc ionis
app oach, hey designed hei own s a egies o ackle gende inequali y.
This pape de ails bo h he s uc u e and con en o he p ojec o p o ide a
amewo k o hose in e es ed in adop ing a simila app oach. Addi ionally, i
e alua es he p ojec 's successes and challenges. The indings highligh he
impo ance o os e ing an open space o discussion, which equi es ac i ely
add essing powe dynamics wi hin he uni e si y and he semina i sel . Fu he mo e,
he pape c i iques he limi ed long- e m sus ainabili y o such ini ia i es due o
empo a y unding. Finally, i examines he poli iciza ion o gende - ela ed
e minology and i s implica ions o simila ini ia i es, ad oca ing o sus ained
ins i u ional commi men o in eg a ing gende -sensi i e pe spec i es in o
enginee ing educa ion and p ac ice o ensu e las ing impac and s uc u al change.
1 INTRODUCTION
Enginee ing educa ion and p ac ice is lacking emale ep esen a ion and
pa icipa ion. To make his conc e e, his pape e e s o Facul y V – Mechanical
1
Co esponding Au ho
L. Fiedle
iedle .1@ u-be lin.de
Enginee ing and T anspo -Sys ems a he Technical Uni e si y Be lin: In 2025 only
28,4 pe cen o u o s we e emale and 22,8 pe cen o esea ch assis an s (Hos e ,
2025). Rega ding he pe cen age o s uden s and p o esso ships, he la es da a
a ailable is om 2020. In ha yea , only 18,8 pe cen o he s uden s whe e emale
and only 12,8 pe cen o he W3 p o esso ships (De da e al., 2022). This low
p opo ion o women a he Facul y V – Mechanical Enginee ing and T anspo -
Sys ems a he Technical Uni e si y Be lin is compa able o he o e all uni e si y
landscape.
Al hough his p oblem has been add essed and measu es ha e been pu in place o
p omo e women in he enginee ing science, he numbe s a e no imp o ing. This is,
because enginee ing educa ion and p ac ice i sel is cons uc ed in a way ha is
excluding women. I is no neu al, bu in used wi h sexis sociocul u al p ac ices ha
de e women (Hipóli o e al., 2023; Riley, 2013). The e o e, i is no enough o
demand a be e quo a o women, bu sys ema ic changes a e needed wi hin he
uni e si y landscape (Ha ding, 1987; Loh, 2019).
To ini ia e such a change, he Facul y V – Mechanical Enginee ing and T anspo -
Sys ems es ablished he Women's P omo ion Plan (own ansla ion) in 2020. One
componen o his plan includes unding oppo uni ies o p ojec s aimed a
p omo ing gende equi y. In Augus 2023, he p ojec Feminis iche Technike hik in
Leh e und Fo schung
1
was p oposed, app o ed, and subsequen ly implemen ed
om Ap il 2024 o Ma ch 2025. In his pape , I p esen he eaching concep o he
p ojec and e alua e bo h i s successes and a eas o imp o emen .
The p ojec was s uc u ed in wo phases. The i s phase consis ed o a block
semina in which s uden s engaged in an in e ac i e lea ning expe ience. This
p o ided insigh s in o he unde ep esen a ion o women in enginee ing educa ion
and p ac ice while in oducing he concep o echnology as a socio echnical sys em.
Du ing his phase, s uden s we e ega ded as expe s, as hey possessed i s -hand
knowledge o hei s udy p og ams. They we e encou aged o c i ically examine and
iden i y a eas in which enginee ing educa ion lacks emancipa ion and gende equi y.
The second phase was mo e p ac ice-o ien ed, as s uden s de eloped educa ional
ma e ials o p omo e gende equi y in enginee ing beyond he du a ion o he
semina . In his phase, s uden s ansi ioned om pa icipan s o c ea o s, designing
ma e ials and ini ia i es aimed a os e ing long- e m change.
The objec i es o his one-yea p ojec we e a icula ed in h ee key s eps,
speci ically a ge ing s uden s o he Facul y V – Mechanical Enginee ing and
T anspo -Sys ems:
1. To aise awa eness o he pe sis en gende inequali ies in enginee ing
educa ion and p ac ice.
2. To highligh he ways in which enginee ing is embedded in socio echnical
sys ems and con ibu es o he cons uc ion o gende .
3. To de elop hands-on ma e ials and ini ia i es ha add ess and challenge
gende inequi ies in enginee ing educa ion.
O e all, he p ojec is conside ed a success, and an expansion is ecommended.
Acco dingly, he desc ip ion in sec ion wo se es as a guide o hose in e es ed in
implemen ing a simila eaching app oach. In sec ions h ee, his pape o e s a
1
h ps://www. u.be lin/phil ech/s udium/me hoden-de - eminis ischen- echnike hik
b oade e alua ion o he po en ial and limi a ions o p ojec s like his. Howe e , he
expe iences o his p ojec , while p omising, a e somewha limi ed due o he small
numbe o pa icipan s.
2 CONTEXT AND PRACTICAL WORK
2.1 The Semina
In summe 2024, he wo-week block semina was conduc ed wi h eigh s uden s o
di e se s udy p og ams pa icipa ing – six o whom iden i ied as emale and wo as
male. The semina awa ded six ECTS c edi s. Two p ojec g oups submi ed a inal
p ojec , which will be discussed in de ail in sec ion 2.3. The low numbe o
pa icipan s was likely due o i s limi ed isibili y. The semina was no lis ed in o icial
module and semina ca alogues. Addi ionally, s uden s we e only able o apply hei
c edi s owa d he “ ee choice” module, which pe mi s a limi ed numbe o c edi
poin s depending on he s udy p og am, u he educing incen i es o pa icipa ion.
The p ima y goal o he semina was o aise awa eness o he embedded powe
s uc u es wi hin enginee ing educa ion and p ac ice a he uni e si y. The semina
co e ed h ee key heo e ical opics:
The i s opic o he semina in oduced ounda ional heo e ical pe spec i es,
emphasizing ha gende and echnology a e co-cons uc ing each o he : gende is
embedded in echnology, and echnology, in u n, shapes he social cons uc o
gende (Ebeling, 2006; Wajcman, 2010). This amewo k aligns wi h he
concep ualiza ion o echnology as a socio echnical sys em (Bijke e al., 1987),
whe ein echnological de elopmen s bo h e lec and ans o m social s uc u es.
S uden s engaged wi h key heo ies om Science and Technology S udies (STS),
wi h a pa icula emphasis on eminis STS pe spec i es, such as Ba h, 2009;
Michel elde e al., 2017; Pawley, 2012; Riley, 2020; Wajcman, 2004. The cen al
objec i e o his sec ion was o challenge he bina i y be ween echnical and non-
echnical domains, which has been iden i ied as an a i icial dis inc ion (Downey,
2005). Ins ead, s uden s we e encou aged o c i ically examine how echnology, i s
de elopmen , and associa ed esea ch p ac ices shape and ede ine social
cons uc s such as gende .
The second opic o he semina shi ed ocus owa d enginee ing educa ion and
p ac ice a he Technical Uni e si y Be lin. This ocus acili a ed a conc e e analysis
o gende dispa i ies.
The p ima y objec i e o his sec ion was o con on s uden s wi h he eali ies o
gende inequi y in enginee ing academia. The s uden s sha ed pe sonal expe iences
and ac ed as expe s in iden i ying disc imina o y s uc u es wi hin hei academic
en i onmen . Fo ins ance, s uden s discussed an exe cise shee om a Mechanics
module, in which he ajec o y o a baske ball was o be calcula ed. The illus a ion
clea ly shows a man h owing a baske ball and he ex indica es ha he playe is
male. The s uden s c i icized his depic ion, because i e e s o gende s e eo ypes
and excludes women (see Figu e 1). Fu he mo e, s uden s alked o expe s, such as
he Women and Gende Equali y O ice . He p esen a ion, which add essed powe
s uc u es and pe sonal expe iences o disc imina ion, was pa icula ly impac ul.
The semina eache obse ed an a mosphe e o ension and us a ion among
s uden s.
Figu e 1: Exce p om he exe cise shee o he ad anced mechanics module o
enginee s, illus a ing gende bias wi hin cou se ma e ials.
To coun e ac eelings o helplessness and channel hem in o cons uc i e ac ion,
he inal opic o he semina in oduced design me hodologies. These included de-
gende ing design (Ba h, 2009) as well as app oaches ha ha e been in luenced and
u he de eloped wi hin eminis discou se, such as alue-sensi i e design
(G unwald, 2019) and pa icipa o y design (Rommes, 2014). The o e a ching heme
o hese app oaches can be well-desc ibed by Ha ding:
“Bu he eminis challenges e eal ha he ques ions ha a e asked – and,
e en mo e signi ican ly, hose ha a e no asked – a e a leas as
de e mina i e o he adequacy o ou o al pic u e as a e any answe s ha we
can disco e .” (Ha ding, 1987, p. 7)
Hence, hese design me hods aim o e eal hidden gende biases and disc imina ion
by changing he way enginee ing wo k is iewed. While hey we e o iginally c ea ed
o suppo ai echnology design, he semina also examined how hey could help
c ea e mo e inclusi e s uc u es in enginee ing educa ion.
This heo e ical ounda ion was supplemen ed wi h p ac ical case s udies,
highligh ing bo h bes - and wo s -p ac ice examples o gende -sensi i i y ini ia i es in
enginee ing. No able bes -p ac ice examples included he Gende and Di e si y
Toolbox de eloped by F eie Uni e si ä Be lin.
1
In con as , he semina c i ically
examined he ilm Hen y’s Daugh e s, p oduced by he Na ional Ins i u e o
Enginee ing E hics and c i iqued by Riley e al. (2009), as an example o p oblema ic
gende ep esen a ion in enginee ing discou se.
2.2 P ac ical Wo k
In addi ion o he heo e ical amewo k, he semina p o ided s uden s wi h hands-
on expe iences. Such p ac ical engagemen can se e as a c i ical lea ning momen ,
aligning wi h Cos anza-Chock’s call “ o pedagogies o design jus ice in conc e e
expe ience, wi h all i s a endan messiness, a he han in abs ac heo ies abou
educa ion” (Cos anza-Chock, 2020, p. 177).
To acili a e his expe ien ial lea ning, s uden s we e gi en disposable analog
came as and asked wi h pho og aphing e e yday objec s ha exhibi gende ed
cha ac e is ics in some way. The assignmen was in en ionally open-minded o
encou age s uden s o obse e hei su oundings wi hou p ede ined cons ain s.
P io o he exe cise, s uden s we e in oduced o a ange o examples om C iado-
Pe ez’s In isible Women (2020) o illus a e how commonplace objec s a e o en
designed wi h implici gende biases.
The h ee mos compelling images we e amed and displayed a he wall as a isual
eminde o he ways in which e e yday echnologies bo h shape and e lec gende
1
Toolbox Gende und Di e si y in de Leh e: S a sei e
pe cep ions. The pho o selec ed as he mos illus a i e example depic ed a pink
po able oile by he company Wölkchen.
1
Po able es ooms a e commonly placed
a cons uc ion si es, a wo k en i onmen adi ionally associa ed wi h men. The pink
Wölkchen oile , by con as , se es as a delibe a e s a emen p omo ing gende
inclusi i y. I play ully challenges exis ing gende s e eo ypes, demons a ing ha
enginee ing is no me ely a echnical discipline bu one ha mus accoun o he
social complexi y o accessibili y, wo kplace inclusion, and equi able in as uc u e
(Faulkne , 2007). This p ac ical illus a ion o semina concep s had a mo e las ing
impac on s uden s han eading and discussing li e a u e alone could achie e.
2.3 S uden -Led P ojec s
Beyond engaging in heo e ical discussions and p ac ical obse a ions, s uden s also
de eloped hei own applied p ojec s, o ming he second majo componen o he
semina . The goal was o p oduce ma e ial ha helps o aise gende sensi i i y in
enginee ing educa ion. S uden s we e encou aged o ake a cons uc ionis app oach
and de ise hei own s a egies o ackle gende inequali y (Psenka e al., 2017).
Two p ojec s we e ul ima ely submi ed. They a e a ailable online a
h ps://www. u.be lin/phil ech/s udium/me hoden-de - eminis ischen- echnike hik.
One g oup de eloped a gende -sensi i i y guideline o u o s in one o he basic
mechanics modules o enginee s. This is a basic module ha hund eds o s uden s
ac oss a ious enginee ing disciplines mus comple e each semes e . Since weekly
u o ials a e a key componen o he module, u o s a e c ucial con ac pe sons o
s uden s. As a esul , ensu ing ha u o s a e ained in gende -sensi i e pedagogy is
o signi ican impo ance.
The guideline c ea ed by he s uden s o e s an engaging in oduc ion o gende
sensi i i y, inco po a ing mul imedia elemen s such as a ideo, a quiz, and illus a i e
examples, such as he exce p om an exe cise shee , illus a ed in Figu e 1. These
esou ces demons a e how u o s can make hei eaching p ac ices mo e inclusi e.
The long- e m goal is o in eg a e his guideline in o he onboa ding p ocess o new
u o s, he eby ins i u ionalizing gende sensi i i y wi hin he acul y's eaching
p ac ices.
The second s uden g oup c ea ed an Ins ag am accoun dedica ed o gende equi y
in enginee ing educa ion. The accoun was egula ly upda ed wi h con en such as
li e a u e ecommenda ions, con ac in o ma ion o ele an uni e si y o ices, and
pe sonal expe ience epo s. The pee -led ini ia i e should acili a e s uden dialogue
and p o ide suppo o hose who encoun e ed challenges in hei academic
en i onmen . Howe e , he accoun became inac i e a e he semina concluded.
Gi en ha Ins ag am is a as -paced medium equi ing con inuous con en
gene a ion, he p ojec did no p o e sus ainable in he long e m. None heless, he
con en c ea ed – isually compelling and well-s uc u ed ma e ials on gende
sensi i i y – could be epu posed.
3 RESULTS AND INSIGHTS
This sec ion assesses he o e all impac o he p ojec and e lec s on he challenges
associa ed wi h implemen ing ini ia i es o his na u e.
1
h ps://woelkchen- ische.de/
3.1 Sys ema ic Change
I began his pape by ou lining he lack o emale ep esen a ion a he Facul y V –
Mechanical Enginee ing and T anspo -Sys ems. Al hough, he acul y ini ia ed a
se ies o measu es and p o ided a lo o money o inc ease he p opo ion o women
(De da e al., 2022), hese e o s ha e no led o a signi ican inc ease in he
p opo ion o women. This e lec s a long-s anding challenge in enginee ing
educa ion: “Despi e massi e e o s in ec ui men and e en ion, enginee ing
educa ion oday is no signi ican ly mo e di e se in e ms o gende , e hnici y, and
o he demog aphics han a gene a ion ago.” (Leydens & Lucena, 2018, p. 10).
Recognizing hese pe sis en dispa i ies, he p ojec adop ed a new app oach o
p omo e gende equi y wi hin he acul y. Ra he han elying on op-down policy
in e en ions, he p ojec was designed o empowe s uden s o de elop ini ia i es
hey pe sonally deemed aluable. This s uden -led app oach posi ions s uden s as
expe s in hei own educa ional expe iences and allows hem o c ea e measu es
ailo ed o hei speci ic needs. In his espec , he p ojec aligns wi h he amewo k
o Enginee ing o Social Jus ice (E4SJ): “Ou app oach goes whe e ew ha e gone
be o e: in o he hea and soul o he enginee ing cu iculum, he place whe e much
o a young enginee ’s iden i y is o ged and o med” (Leydens & Lucena, 2018, p.
10).
3.2 Add ess Powe
To do so, i is essen ial o acknowledge he powe s uc u es inhe en wi hin he
uni e si y and eaching. A cen al heme o he semina was he examina ion o
powe – bo h i s use and misuse – and i s disc imina o y s uc u es. Howe e , i is
equally impo an o ecognize ha he eache he sel holds a posi ion o powe . She
is esponsible o g ading he s uden s, he eby in luencing hei academic and
p o essional u u e. This dynamic has he po en ial o inhibi an open discussion. To
add ess his conce n, he eache explici ly acknowledged he posi ion o au ho i y a
he beginning o he semina , as ecommended by Cos anza-Chock: “P i ilege and
powe ne e go away, bu a design jus ice s udio can become a place whe e hey
a e explici ly ecognized, acknowledged, and discussed.” (Cos anza-Chock, 2020, p.
196). While powe s uc u es pe sis , making hem explici and ou lining hei
limi a ions can help mi iga e hei in luence. Al hough he eache holds g ading
au ho i y, s uden s a e no wi hou agency; hey ha e he abili y o e alua e he
eache o ile complain s i necessa y.
This issue is closely linked o ano he complex aspec o he p ojec : he semina ’s
a mosphe e. S uden s we e encou aged o sha e pe sonal expe iences and discuss
sensi i e opics. One male s uden , o ins ance, posed he ques ion o how o
app op ia ely espond when wi nessing disc imina ion agains a emale s uden .
Should he in e ene wi hou being asked, o would ha i sel be in usi e? Such
ques ions a e highly nuanced and con ex -dependen , unde sco ing he necessi y o
communal dialogue. While no de ini i e answe s exis , he me e willingness o
engage in such discussions e lec s a high le el o us among s uden s and
be ween s uden s and he eache . C ea ing an en i onmen whe e pa icipan s el
com o able sha ing pe sonal expe iences was one o he semina ’s g ea es
challenges. Howe e , as s uden e alua ions indica e, os e ing a sa e and inclusi e
space was essen ial o he semina ’s success. One s uden no ed in an anonymous
e alua ion: “The amilia a mosphe e lowe ed he h eshold o pa icipa ion and
encou aged discussion.”
1
Ano he s uden w o e: “The wo king en i onmen was
e y posi i e and inclusi e, c ea ing a space o s imula ing g oup discussions in
which all semina pa icipan s ook pa .”
2
3.3 O ganisa ional Ba ie s
Lee and Faulkne iden i ied se e al o ganisa ional ailings ha hinde implemen ing
ini ia i es such as he Feminis ische Technike hik semina (Lee & Faulkne , 2010).
The i s ailing hey highligh is ha “policies a e no adequa ely publicised and
p omo ed” (Lee & Faulkne , 2010, p. 91). This was e iden in he p ojec . The
semina was no well-publicized, as i was no o mally in eg a ed in o he
enginee ing cu iculum. In addi ion, he p ojec was app o ed sho ly be o e he s a
o he semes e , so he e was li le ime o ad e ise he p ojec o s uden s. As a
esul , mos s uden s we e unawa e o i s exis ence.
The second po en ial ailu e is ha “changes in o ganisa ional p ac ice a e o en
necessa y in o de o achie e policy objec i es” (Lee & Faulkne , 2010, p. 92). This,
as well, was a challenge wi hin he p ojec . Fo example, because he semina was
only ecognized wi hin he elec i e ca ego y, i had limi ed appeal. Add essing such
s uc u al ba ie s equi es changes in ins i u ional p ac ices. Fo example, as
sugges ed by Loh in his plea o a eminis echnoscien i ic u opia, cou ses such as
his should be compulso y o enginee s uden s (Loh, 2019).
The hi d po en ial ailing is ha he “manage s o en impede he up ake o equali y
and di e si y policies” (Lee & Faulkne , 2010, p. 92). Howe e , his ins i u ional
esis ance was no issue in he p ojec . On he con a y, he semina was gene ally
well- ecei ed. Fo ins ance, he p oposal o in eg a e he s uden -de eloped u o
guideline in o he onboa ding p ocess o new u o s was me wi h en husiasm by he
module coo dina o .
The ou h ailu e aised by Lee and Faulkne is he ”dea h o any igo ous
moni o ing and e alua ion o he implemen a ion” (ibid. p. 92). In his ega d, I belie e
he p ojec success ully ci cum en ed his challenge. The semina ’s ou comes we e
documen ed and published on he ins i u ional websi e, ensu ing anspa ency and
accessibili y. Fu he mo e, assessmen s such as his pape con ibu e o ongoing
e alua ion and e lec ion on he p ojec ’s e ec i eness.
One inal challenge hey iden i y is he “lack o esou ces” (ibid. p. 93). Howe e , in
his case, I am pleased o epo ha he acul y p o ided su icien unding o
suppo he p ojec . Howe e , inancial suppo is ypically alloca ed on a p ojec -
speci ic and ime-limi ed basis. Once a p ojec concludes, i s con inua ion is no
gua an eed, and i s ou comes isk being o e looked o abandoned. Fo example, he
Ins ag am accoun c ea ed du ing he semina became inac i e as soon as he
semes e ended. Fu he mo e, he semina will no be epea ed nex semes e ,
because he e is no unding o he eache . In his espec , al hough money has
been made a ailable o he c ea ion o a eaching concep , he e is a lack o money
o he long- e m implemen a ion o he concep . Ini ia i es like his p ojec a ely
p oduce inal, sel -sus aining p oduc s. Ra he , hey ep esen ongoing p ocesses
ha equi e con inuous engagemen o achie e long- e m ins i u ional impac .
1
O iginal: „Die amiliä e A mosphä e ha die Hemmschwelle gesenk und zum Mi disku ie en
ange eg .”
2
O iginal: „Das A bei sklima wa seh posi i und inklusi ges al e , so dass ein Raum ü an egende
G uppendiskussionen en s and, de on jedem/-e Semina eilnehme in genu z wu de.”
4 CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
I would like o conclude his pape on he Feminis ische Technike hik p ojec wi h
some gene al e lec ions on s a egies o enhancing gende sensi i i y in
enginee ing educa ion and p ac ice.
Fi s , I mus add ess he e m eminis . Du ing he planning phase o bo h he p ojec
and he semina , I was equen ly asked whe he i was necessa y o include he
wo d eminis in he p ojec and semina i le. This hesi a ion is compa able o he
expe ience o Leyden and Lucena wi h he e m social jus ice. They obse ed ha
“some enginee ing acul y can s uggle wi h he e m social jus ice” (Leydens &
Lucena, 2018, p. 14), and I belie e he same applies o he e m eminis . Riley, as
well, desc ibes his as p oblema ic: “ eminism is main ained as a bad wo d in
enginee ing as in enginee ing e hics.” (Riley, 2013, p. 197). None heless, she a gues
ha “claiming and naming eminis e hical app oaches may be he only way we can
b oach ce ain opics wi h in eg i y and accoun abili y.” (Riley, 2013, p. 203). I
s ongly ag ee and emain commi ed o using he e m eminis . I s undamen al
meaning – ad oca ing o an equi able and jus socie y – aligns wi h he goals o his
p ojec . To abandon he e m simply because i has been co-op ed by igh -wing
discou se would seem misguided.
None heless, his issue is pa o a b oade socie al deba e, pa icula ly discussed in
he Uni ed S a es, whe e amewo ks such as he Di e si y, Equi y, and Inclusion
(DEI) ha e been banned by he T ump adminis a ion. In esponse, he Uni e si y o
Albe a in Canada has abandoned he DEI amewo k and eplaced i wi h he e ms
Access, Communi y, and Belonging. The uni e si y jus i ied his decision by a guing
ha DEI had become oo pola izing and di isi e. Howe e , I i mly belie e ha
eb anding he amewo k does no add ess he unde lying issue. These new e ms,
oo, will ine i ably become poli icized, as he co e p oblem a e no he wo ds
hemsel es bu he socie al ensions su ounding hem. Fu he mo e, he deba e in
he USA igh eningly makes clea ha unding p og ams o gende -sensi i e
educa ion and esea ch a e no a ma e o cou se and ha unding can be cu a any
ime (Kozlo & Mallapa y, 2025). The e o e, o unde sco e he necessi y o such
ini ia i es, I would like o conclude wi h one o he mos s iking obse a ions om
his p ojec . The s uden s who pa icipa ed in he semina we e al eady highly awa e
o gende issues in enginee ing esea ch, educa ion, and socie y a la ge. Ye ,
despi e hei p io knowledge, hey we e s ill deeply shocked by he con en
p esen ed in he semina . One s uden , o ins ance, ema ked in he e alua ion: “I is
no su p ising, bu i is always shocking o see how deeply ing ained social and
gende -speci ic no ms a e in e e y aspec o li e and he a - eaching consequences
hey ha e.”
1
This eac ion highligh s a c i ical issue: e en among indi iduals who a e al eady
sensi ized o gende dispa i ies, awa eness emains insu icien . This unde sco es
he u gen need o con inued e o s o add ess hese challenges in enginee ing
educa ion and beyond.
1
O iginal: „Nich übe aschend, abe e sch eckend inde ich imme wiede , wie e es ig soziale und
geschlech sspezi ische No men in jeglichen Be eichen e anke sind und was sie ü eine T agwei e
haben.”
