Gender and career in science and engineering

by Julia Evetts

What happens to women and men who become professional engineers and scientists and work for industrial organizations in Britain? This question is explored here by examining the career experiences of a group of engineers and scientists working for two large industrial companies. The concepts of career, organization, profession and class are analyzed throughout. The work cultures of the engineers and scientists, their educational backgrounds and work and family lives are all examined. Their experiences of promotion and management in the work organizations are also considered. Gender differences in experience and careers, and in the effects of organizational cultures are analyzed and compared. The author suggests how certain aspects of professional occupational segregation are being redefined and reproduced in technological careers in industrial organizations. As the work of scientists and engineers changes with increased technological developments, and as organizations become leaner and