Resea ch Pape
Recommended ci a ion: A bi, S., Kloo , B., & Shaw, C. (2025). Add essing
Inclusi i y o Women in Enginee ing Educa ion: Sugges ions om S uden s in
Sou h A ica and Ge many. 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.17631288.
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.
ADDRESSING INCLUSIVITY OF WOMEN IN ENGINEERING
EDUCATION: SUGGESTIONS FROM STUDENTS IN SOUTH AFRICA
AND GERMANY
S A bi a,1, B Kloo b, 2, C Shaw c, 3,
a Uni e si y o Cape Town, Cape Town, Sou h A ica, 0009-0002-3709-4031
b Uni e si y o Cape Town, Cape Town, Sou h A ica, 0000-0001-8644-3248
c Uni e si y o Cape Town, Cape Town, Sou h A ica, 0000-0002-9868-277X
Con e ence Key A eas: Di e si y, Equi y and Inclusi i y; A ac i eness o
Enginee ing Educa ion
Keywo ds: women s uden s, ecommenda ions, iden i y, social s uc u es, inclusi i y
ABSTRACT
Despi e con inuing ec ui men e o s, women emain unde ep esen ed in
enginee ing educa ion. This pape d aws on ongoing doc o al wo k ha aims o
add ess his p oblem a wo case s udy uni e si ies, one loca ed in he Global No h
(Düsseldo , Ge many) and one in he Global Sou h (Cape Town, Sou h A ica). Semi-
s uc u ed in e iews we e he p ima y da a collec ion me hod and na a i e inqui y
was used o analyse s uden s’ li ed expe iences while employing he heo e ical lens
o iden i y heo y. The sample included s uden s a unde g adua e le el in mechanical
enginee ing; six om Ge many and eigh om Sou h A ica.
In ligh o hese in e iews, his pape conside s he a eas o impac on women’s
inclusi i y in enginee ing. In pa icula , i explo es he ad ice p o ided by he
pa icipan s du ing hei in e iews o incoming s uden s and sugges s
ecommenda ions o acili a e academic success, imp o e s uden expe iences, and
inc ease a es o e en ion. These ecommenda ions include emphasising men o ship,
inc easing ep esen a ion o women in enginee ing, acili a ing communi y building,
adjus ing deg ee con en , and in oducing single-gende eaching. De ailing hese
po en ial a enues o change can be bene icial o c ea ing a mo e posi i e enginee ing
class oom cul u e and imp o ing he inclusi i y o he ield in bo h na ional con ex s.
1 S A bi
[email p o ec ed]
2 B Kloo
[email p o ec ed]
3 C Shaw
[email p o ec ed]
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Backg ound
This pape eme ges om a doc o al esea ch s udy ha demons a es how social
s uc u es in luence he iden i ies o women s uden s in enginee ing. One o he
objec i es o he la ge s udy is o make ecommenda ions o imp o e inclusi i y in
enginee ing educa ion because, despi e con inuing ec ui men e o s, women emain
unde ep esen ed in he ield o enginee ing (Hill e al., 2010). The poo a es o
e en ion o women s uden s is pa icula ly ala ming, wi h signi ican numbe s o
s uden s d opping ou , ans e ing ou o he deg ee, o no en e ing indus y. This
phenomenon, commonly e e ed o as he ‘sh inking pipeline,’ is no limi ed o he
de eloped o de eloping wo ld and can be a ibu ed o se e al social, cul u al and
en i onmen al ac o s (Ceci e al., 2009). Some o hese ac o s include socie al
belie s, pa en al in luence, and academic en i onmen , all o which weigh on women
s uden s’ en olmen decisions and hei con inued expe iences du ing hei s udies
(Longe e al., 2019). Ceci e al (2009) also documen ed ha women can expe ience
lowe le els o sel -e icacy, a poo e sense o belonging, gende disc imina ion, and
p essu es o enginee ing s e eo ypes.
Hill e al. (2010) pos ula es ha e en “li le changes” enac ed by e ia y ins i u ions o
ex e nal suppo p og ams can con ibu e owa ds posi i ely a ec ing hei
expe iences and inc easing a es o ec ui men and e en ion. Globally, he e a e
exis ing e o s o assis and suppo women s uden s in enginee ing. Such
in e en ions play a c i ical ole in ensu ing incoming s uden s ha e access o
supplemen a y ma e ials, men o ship, and communi y engagemen (Knigh e al.,
2010; Ma in e al., 2013; Seymou & Hewi , 1997). While con inuing na ional and
in e na ional e o s emains impo an , lea ning wha is needed di ec ly om s uden s
is also wo hwhile. P elimina y indings om he doc o al wo k indica ed ha he ole
o amily, pee s and educa o s emained signi ican in how pa icipan s na iga ed hei
jou neys h ough enginee ing and nego ia ed exp essions o hei iden i y.
This pape uses a selec ion o hese indings o highligh and explo e a eas o in luence
in imp o ing he expe iences o women s uden s in enginee ing. To achie e a mo e
inclusi e lea ning en i onmen , p oposed ecommenda ions we e d awn om exis ing
li e a u e and in e iew esponses p o ided by pa icipan s li ing in wo esea ch si es,
loca ed in wo na ional con ex s The cul u al, ins i u ional and socie al no ms o each
case s udy loca ion p o ided in e es ing backd ops o explo e and possibly ans e
le e age poin s o p oposing in e en ions. This pape aims o dissemina e hese
poin s o engagemen o make app op ia e ecommenda ions owa ds imp o ing
inclusi i y, as well as highligh he impo ance o con ex , as he success and easibili y
o hese ecommenda ions can a y ac oss di e en social s uc u es.
1.2 Resea ch App oach
The app oach o his esea ch d ew on he wo k o C o y (1998) and Maxwell (2005)
o acili a e in aligning he in es iga ion’s objec i es wi h i s heo e ical lens and
me hods. The concep ual amewo k o iden i y heo y simul aneously guided and
limi ed he da a included in his pape . Iden i y can e e o he appea ances,
beha iou s and cha ac e is ics ha de ine he posi ion o posi ions o an indi idual o
collec i e in socie y (Fea on, 1999). Some heo ies ocus on he social aspec s o
iden i y, whe e o he s concen a e on he in e nal p ocesses o iden i y. Fo he la ge
doc o al wo k, he iden i y heo y p esen ed by S yke and Bu ke (2000) in hei pape ,
‘The Pas , P esen and Fu u e o Iden i y Theo y’ was p ima ily adop ed. This heo y
b ings oge he hese wo s ands o iden i y by combining he ac o s ha in luence
iden i y exp ession om o igins o bo h social s uc u es and he sel .
This heo y adop s he no ion ha he social s uc u es in which a pe son is embedded,
which ac as bounda ies o o e lapping and in e connec ed social g oups and
ela ionships, can in luence a pe son’s exp ession o iden i y and, ul ima ely, hei
beha iou (S yke & Bu ke, 2000). I is also hese cul u al and social s uc u es ha
dic a e he iden i y s anda d: an iden i y ha is deemed socially accep able, and is
dependen on each socie y’s iews (S yke & Bu ke, 2000). Iden i ies a e, he e o e,
dynamic and can be he p oduc o one’s in e ac ions wi hin a socie y. In his heo y,
hey a e seen o be in e nally nego ia ed o be as close o he iden i y s anda d, he eby
elici ing a mo e posi i e eac ion. I wo ks, hen, ha e o s owa ds al e ing he
pe cei ed iden i y s anda d can ha e he e ec o in luencing s uden iden i ies, as
iewed h ough hei beha iou . This can be accomplished in a numbe o ways, some
o which a e de ailed in his pape .
2 METHODOLOGY
2.1 Two Na ional Con ex s as Case S udies
In o de o unde s and how social s uc u es in luence he iden i ies o women s uden s
in enginee ing, wo case s udies ep esen ing wo esea ch si es in wo di e en
na ional con ex s we e used. Each si e was ea ed as a sepa a e case s udy, exis ing
wi h hei own social s uc u es, cul u es, and popula ions. Acco ding o Yin (2014),
case s udies p esen an a enue o unde s anding social phenomena mo e deeply
and wi hin a pa icula , speci ic con ex , making hem especially use ul in quali a i e
esea ch.
A uni e si y in each esea ch si e p o ided he con ex o he s udy, one in he Global
No h, (Düsseldo , Ge many), and he o he in he Global Sou h (Cape Town, Sou h
A ica). Bo h si es p o ided a backd op o di e se popula ions, ich his o ies, and
ma i ime geog aphical posi ions. While he si es do main ain some simila i ies, hei
di e ences in educa ion sys ems, popula ion size and makeup, eligious di isions, and
languages a e conside ed signi ican . F om hese di e ences in con ex , a ia ions in
he applica ion and easibili y o in e en ions can a ise.
2.2 In e iew P o ocol
In quali a i e esea ch, collec ed da a is mo e likely no ep esen ed by numbe s o
s a is ics, which is especially ue when adop ing echniques si ua ed in na a i e
inqui y (Polkingho ne, 1995). As a esul , ele an da a we e p ima ily collec ed
h ough he use o semi-s uc u ed indi idual and g oup in e iews. A e ecei ing
e hical clea ance, pa icipan s we e ec ui ed om each esea ch si e using pu posi e
sampling, wi h he in en ion o inding a di e se selec ion o pupils o o e deepe ,
mo e nuanced insigh s in o s uden iden i y and expe iences (Kim, 2016). The sample
consis ed o women s uden s a unde g adua e le el in mechanical enginee ing, wi h
six pa icipan s om Ge many and eigh om Sou h A ica.
All bu one in e iew was conduc ed in pe son and held on each uni e si y’s campus,
whe e hey opened by e iewing he esea ch p oblem and assu ing he pa icipan s’
anonymi y and au onomy, be o e p oceeding wi h he ques ions. Depending on he
pa icipan s’ expe iences and willingness o sha e, he in e iews anged in leng h om
i een minu es o mo e han an hou , wi h he sho es eco ded in e iew equi ing a
scheduled ollow-up o o m a mo e comple e s o y o he pa icipan ’s jou ney.
Despi e hei open-endedness and being opinion-based, he in e iew ques ions we e
se up o add ess h ee main objec i es. Fi s ly, o ga he p elimina y biog aphical
in o ma ion; secondly, o lea n abou he pa icipan s’ jou neys o enginee ing and hei
hough s and a i udes abou enginee ing; be o e las ly hea ing abou hei
expe iences h ough hei espec i e deg ees. Table 1, below, p o ides he
pa icipan s’ pseudonyms and b ie biog aphical in o ma ion.
Table 1: Pa icipan Pseudonyms and Biog aphical In o ma ion
Pseudonym
Resea ch Si e
Age
Na ionali y
He i age
Julia
Ge many
23
Ge man
Ge man
Claudia
Ge many
21
Ge man
Ge man
Kaya
Ge many
23
Ge man
Tu kish
Ve onica
Ge many
28
Ge man
Polish
As id
Ge many
27
Ge man
Ge man
Nehi
Ge many
22
Tu kish
Ku dish
C ys al
Sou h A ica
23
Zimbabwean
Zimbabwean
Louisa
Sou h A ica
23
Sou h A ican
Sou h A ican
Mbali
Sou h A ica
22
Zimbabwean
Zimbabwean
Yus a
Sou h A ica
21
Sou h A ican
Sou h A ican
Te esa
Sou h A ica
23
Sou h A ican
Malawian
Nandi
Sou h A ica
23
Sou h A ican
Sou h A ican
Ami a
Sou h A ica
22
Sou h A ican
Sou h A ican
Zah a
Sou h A ica
21
Sou h A ican
Sou h A ican
2.3 App oach o Da a Analysis
Na a i e inqui y is desc ibed as a me hod o analysis ha ocuses on explo ing he
way in which people ell he s o ies o hei own li es (Moen, 2006). I s use, as a esul ,
allowed esea che s o di e deepe in o how pa icipan s speak o and make sense o
hei own expe iences. By accessing he s o ies o each indi idual pa icipan ’s
jou ney, pa e ns could be obse ed and in e p e ed, and p esen ed as hemes in he
indings. The da a, in he o m o audio eco dings and ansc ip s, we e syn hesised
using cases and coding me hods o ex ac and p opose speci ic ecommenda ions o
coun e ac ing o , in some cases, ampli ying hei expe iences in enginee ing.
3 FINDINGS
The indi idual in e iews all concluded wi h he same ques ion: “I you could o e one
piece o ad ice o incoming women s uden s in enginee ing, wha would i be? O , was
he e any ad ice you wish you ecei ed?” o which he esponses a e he sou ce o
da a o his pape . Each pa icipan p o ided indi idual eedback o he ques ion,
d awing om hei pe sonal hough s, opinions, and expe iences as women s uden s
in enginee ing. These answe s and subsequen ollow-ups a e included in he indings
below and o med he ounda ion o he p oposed ecommenda ions in Sec ion 4.
3.1 Sel -Con idence o Women in Enginee ing
A lack o con idence in women s uden s’ academic abili ies and in making hei oices
hea d was p e alen in in e iews om bo h samples. Th ee s uden s om Ge many
alluded o ha ing o conque hei ea s o app oaching o he pee s and lec u e s o
ask o assis ance, pa icula ly in ega ds o he con en o he deg ee. Julia (Ge many)
said, “Don’ be a aid o ask o help and, yeah, don’ be a aid o alk o people.” Bo h
Kaya and Ve onica echoed he ad ice, highligh ing a need o add ess women
s uden s’ cou age o a icula e hei needs. F om Sou h A ica, Nandi and Louisa also
ouched on his sen imen , wi h Louisa saying speci ically, “Don’ shy away om he
men. Like, wo k wi h hem so you can see ha you also belong in he space, because
hey’ e no any sma e han you a e jus because you’ e a woman.”
Also om he Sou h A ican sample, Ami a’s ad ice was simply, “Lis ening o you sel
is e y impo an , because you know you sel he bes .” Zah a also p o ided signi ican
insigh on he opic, alluding o disco e ing, h ough COVID-19 egula ions, ha she is
mo e success ul in he lea ning by using lec u e eco dings a he han a ending li e
lec u es. She emphasised he impo ance o de e mining which lea ning s yles bes
wo ked o he , some hing ha wen a long way owa ds imp o ing he academic
pe o mance and bols e ing he con idence.
3.2 Pe cep ions o Women in Enginee ing
In e es ingly, one s uden om each sample di ec ly exp essed hei conce n o e how
women a e iewed in he enginee ing space, a bo h s uden and acul y le el, and el
a esponsibili y o uphold women’s s anding in he ield. F om Ge many, Kaya
exp essed he admi a ion o s ong women “who wan o achie e some hing, who ha e
d eams, who ha e plans, ca ee plans,” and aims o become a ole model o o he
incoming women s uden s. Yus a (Sou h A ica) made a poin o saying she wishes
acul y would hi e mo e women lec u e s who a e s ong, in elligen and d i en. As a
ep esen a i e o women in a highe posi ion, she acknowledged ha acul y
pe o ming a any hing o he han he highes le el would ine i ably lead o “jokes
abou he being a woman.”
Nehi (Ge many) spoke o ad ice she ecei ed om he olde sis e , also an enginee ,
who old he , “I ha e o show hem how much do I know because I’m going o be young
when I g adua e and he wo k is no going o ake me se ious because I’m young and
hen because I’m a woman.” This no ion ha women s uden s a e less capable and
less knowledgeable han hei male coun e pa s was also men ioned by Mbali (Sou h
A ica) who bli hely said, “Jus ge used o ha : nobody will ask you any hing because
hey assume you don’ know any hing,” which u he highligh ed an uncom o able,
s e eo ypical eali y o women in enginee ing. She la e added, “Maybe make women
s udies compulso y,” hoping ha i would help all gende s o unde s and he
expe iences o women in enginee ing.
In he in e iew, Yus a (Sou h A ica) also men ioned imes when she el he
capabili ies we e being diminished. He e lec ion on his led he o conclude ha she
wished she had been “mo e on op o [he ] wo k because hen i p obably con ibu ed
o people unde mining [he ] when [she] wasn’ doing as well.” In a simila way,
Ve onica (Ge many) said, “You jus ha e o si down and ha e an open mind and lea n
he hings you don' know,” o become success ul and be seen o be so. F om he
Sou h A ican sample, C ys al exp essed ha women’s own p ide can ac as a ba ie
o hei success, exp essing he hinking ha i may be “why we ha e like such a weak,
emale o ce. I ’s because, us, we a e no uni ed.” This, she belie es, can be imp o ed
h ough women showing mo e suppo o o he women.
3.3 Building and In es ing in Suppo Sys ems o Women in Enginee ing
F om he Ge man sample, As id highligh ed he impo ance o knowing mo e abou
which enginee ing cou ses sui ed he bes . She ound i o e whelming o make he
choice ea ly in he deg ee, bu el she bene i ed om being able o gain wo k
expe ience h ough he manda o y in e nship semes e embedded in he enginee ing
deg ee. She s a ed, “I’m eally happy ha I did my app en iceship since, he e, I
al eady go in ol ed wi h a ew di e en ypes o enginee s, and my eache in my
app en iceship kind o helped me and old me, ‘Well, you’ e eally good in hese kinds
o hings, you should do ha a e wa ds.’” This o m o men o ship and u elage p o ed
o be use ul in helping he make he igh decisions ega ding he discipline o
enginee ing she ul ima ely chose o pu sue.
I should be no ed ha a simila in e nship p og am does no cu en ly exis as pa o
he mechanical enginee ing deg ee a he case s udy uni e si y in Sou h A ica. Mbali
(Sou h A ica), howe e , spoke o he men o ship p og am in which she was in ol ed
in he i s yea o uni e si y, which she ound bene icial, p omp ing he o apply o a
simila posi ion in he senio yea s o he deg ee. She el i was impo an o be clea
o incoming s uden s abou he eali ies o becoming a woman enginee in a male-
domina ed ield igh om he s a . She made i clea he ad ice would be a wa ning,
based on he own expe iences, s a ing: “You will ge a lo o mansplaining, you will be
unde mined, hese a e he possible hings ha can happen o you, keep ha in mind
as you in e ac , bu I will y and say i in a way ha would sca e [ hem].” He
expe iences wi h g oup wo k and aca ion wo k con ibu ed o he cau ion among he
pee s and he hesi ance o en e indus y.
3.4 Fo ming Communi ies wi h O he S uden s
S uden s om bo h samples spoke o inding a co e, solid suppo sys em and
main aining ela ionships inside and ou side o enginee ing. In pa icula , om
Ge many, Claudia’s ad ice was, “Fo me, i eally helped ha I ound my hea e g oup
because hey a e om di e en s udy p og ams and he e a e no enginee s.” She el
i was impo an o ha e a g oup o iends besides enginee s who a e also good and
suppo i e o help main ain s abili y. Keeping a balance was also highligh ed by Te esa
(Sou h A ica), who said i was impo an , “no [ o] be sca ed o ha e un beyond
Enginee ing. […] Don’ eel like you ime is only limi ed o when you’ e on campus.”
The idea, Nandi (Sou h A ica) de e mined, is o “ ind a communi y because i
s abilises you,” which she said ound h ough he chu ch’s cong ega ion and has been
signi ican in helping he emain ue o he sel .
While es ablishing a sense o communi y ou side o enginee ing was seen o be
impo an , wo s uden s om Sou h A ica highligh ed he need o women s uden s in
enginee ing o suppo hei ellow women. In pa icula , Louisa said, “Find he women
in you yea and become iends wi h hem, because I hink women know how o
suppo women bes .” C ys al u he add essed a phenomenon she expe ienced
whe e she and o he women in he cou ses made a poin o no in e ac ing wi h one
ano he , hough she emained unsu e as o why. He ad ice, he e o e, included,
“Suppo o he gi ls. Le us no p e end like we all don’ exis ,” and ei e a ed ha his
would be a s eng h and no a weakness.
Mbali (Sou h A ica) men ioned she ound i di icul o ge “com o able making iends
wi h people o he opposi e gende ,” as she a ended an all-gi ls’ high school. She was
no p epa ed o ha e o se physical and iendship bounda ies, and had o be mo e
in en ional in looking o iends who iew he as an equal. Zah a echoed his, om an
academic s andpoin , saying, “Find a solid g oup o people ha you can wo k wi h.
Find people who a e sma e han you o like on he same le el o in elligence […] and
ha e he same wo k e hic.” She acknowledged ha he deg ee was al eady di icul
enough wi hou o he s uden s holding he back.
4 DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on hese indings and selec li e a u e, se e al ecommenda ions can be made.
By al e ing he en i onmen s wi hin which women s uden s li e, lea n and
communica e, hey can bene i om posi i e and no able s eps owa ds imp o ing
inclusi i y. These ecommenda ions, while a ec ing aspec s o only a pa o hei
exis ing social s uc u es, can signi ican ly in luence how women s uden s nego ia e
hei exp essions o iden i y and how hey expe ience enginee ing educa ion.
4.1 Emphasise Men o ship and O he Suppo Sys ems
By c ea ing a enues o women s uden s o access in o ma ion and suppo om
ellow s uden s and acul y, le els o academic anxie y can lessen while ins illing
con idence in hei capabili ies (Knigh e al., 2010). Heigh ening o e sigh o exis ing
ins i u ional men o ship p og ams o c ea ing social g oups wi hin he deg ee can also
help acili a e ela ionships ac oss he yea s and in oduce women s uden s o one
ano he . Mbali, om he Sou h A ican sample, speci ically highligh ed he bene i s o
ha ing pa icipa ed in a s uden men o ship p og am.
Men o ship, howe e , isn’ limi ed o he acul y o he uni e si y, as signi ican
oppo uni ies o connec ion and guidance lie in pa ne ing s uden s wi h g adua e
women enginee s in indus y. In Sou h A ica, he Women in Enginee ing Leade ship
Associa ion (WELA) ope a ing ou o Nelson Mandela Uni e si y is jus one example
o a p ojec aiming o empowe women s uden s in he ield (Uni e si y, 2023). By
o e ing a ange o se ices in suppo and leade ship de elopmen , he p esence and
s a u e o women in enginee ing can con inue o g ow and ad ance. A a la ge scale,
WomEng, a non-p o i subsidia y o an e en la ge o ganiza ion, acili a es
connec ions and collabo a ions among s uden s om a ious uni e si ies and pa ne s
in indus y (WomHub, n.d.). Facili a ing access o men o s in indus y can signi ican ly
imp o e a es o e en ion o women by p o iding ole models and isible pa hways
in o enginee ing as a po en ial ca ee .
4.2 Inc ease Visible Rep esen a ion o Women in Enginee ing
In o de o imp o e ep esen a ion among s uden s and acul y, e o s can be aken
o showcase women’s accomplishmen s and successes in enginee ing. This can be
done in a numbe o ways including, hough no limi ed o, pos e s, newsle e s, and
acknowledgmen s om mo e senio acul y in hei espec i e depa men s. While i
seems simple, e en a small acknowledgemen o ongoing wo k and p og ess can
make a di e ence. In keeping wi h his di ec i e, in i ing success ul women in indus y
o hold alks o wo kshops can signi ican ly con ibu e o s uden s’ pe sis ence, as
Seymou e al. (1997) ound o be he case in p og ams whe e women a e highligh ed
as ole models. This can also be achie ed by hi ing mo e women in senio acul y
posi ions, as men ioned by Kaya (Ge many) and Yus a (Sou h A ica).
4.3 Facili a e Uni e si y Communi y Building
Hos ing social e en s a ge ed a women in enginee ing can help s uden s ind one
ano he and mo e easily c ea e communi ies o hemsel es om ea ly in hei
deg ees. By gi ing s uden s he space and oppo uni y o mee one ano he in an
in o mal se ing, hei sense o belonging and pe cei ed loneliness can be posi i ely
a ec ed (Ma in e al., 2013). In disciplines wi h such low numbe s o women s uden s
such as mechanical enginee ing, i would also bene i hem o in e ac wi h s uden s
ou side o hei immedia e ields. By opening up hese e en s o mo e han jus
enginee s, s uden s can es ablish mo e balance in hei pee g oups, as was
highligh ed by Claudia om Ge many and bo h Nandi and Te esa om Sou h A ica.
Ma in e al. (2013) also no ed ha pa icipan s who o med s udy g oups ha included
o he women and joined s uden o ganiza ions displayed g ea e mo i a ion o
con inue wi h enginee ing.
4.4 Adjus he Con en o he Deg ee
By including a mo e comp ehensi e in e nship componen in he Sou h A ican deg ee,
as hey do in Ge many, s uden s can ga ne a mo e in o med unde s anding o hei
disciplina y and ca ee in e es s be o e g adua ing and joining he wo k o ce. F om he
Ge man sample, As id was especially ocal abou how impo an his expe ience was
o he . Th ough pa ne ing wi h enginee ing indus y, i ms and wo kplaces a e mo e
p epa ed o each and men o incoming s uden s, which no only imp o es he
expe ience o s uden s bu also o e s po en ial employe s access o he g adua ing
wo k o ce in Sou h A ica.
Inco po a ing a ge ed cou sewo k o add ess disc imina ion o p ejudice in he
class oom and indus y in o he cu iculum o he deg ee can inc ease awa eness no
only o women, bu men as well. F om he Sou h A ican sample, Mbali’s sugges ion
o inco po a ing manda o y women s udies in o he deg ee could con ibu e owa ds
educa ing s uden s on he ongoing expe iences o women. This could allow o new
