Building new tunnels: subterfuges of women engineers to displace the frontiers of the sexual division of science and technology

Abstract

The domain of scientific knowledge is historically male. Even with the increasing participation of women in this field, we can say that the logic to do science is still based on male values. This work intends to map the perception of women engineers about their choices for sciences and for a traditionally professional field -  engineering. Our initial hypothesis of work stated that the choices of women engineers during their academic and professional path are hampered by the strong tendency to the perpetuation of the sexual division of higher education, science and work. The main goal of this research was to unveil the arguments that lead to the naturalization of separation between men’s and women’s university courses, female and male work area even within the same knowledge area or professional field. In order to do so, we conducted a qualitative study with semi-structured interviews applied to seven women engineers from different areas of a state mixed economy company based in the Federal District, present in the public service of electrical energy. We found the perpetuation of horizontal and vertical sexual division of science, technology and work that reinvent itself in the paths traced by women engineers, forming ghettos that are “allowed” for women, even within the engineering.