Women’s Motivation to Pursue Engineering Education and Careers: a Case Study of Malaysia

The participation of women in engineering in undergraduate programs and in the engineering workforce in Malaysia stands in contrast to the systematically low proportions of female engineers in the United States. What factors contribute to this marked difference? To begin to answer this question, the research team considers retrospective personal accounts of career decision making of 38 female engineering faculty members and employed practicing engineer alumni (PE) from Malaysia’s top engineering school. We conducted a case study using focus groups in order to capture descriptions of Malaysian female engineers’ curricular and career decisions. Academic engineers speak of their desire to teach, but also of the “appropriateness” of their careers for women, especially for married women. On the other hand, female PEs spoke of choosing industry to fulfill a desire to demonstrate engineering capabilities, as well as being enticed by the financial benefits of industry. Overall, these women’s voices afford us the opportunity to begin to understand career decision making in a country where women are well represented in engineering. This paper is part of a larger study which contributes to the literature that seeks to understand why women pursue and persist in engineering as a curricular and career choice.