The STEM Pipeline: Recruiting and Retaining African American Female Engineers

The purpose of the study was to examine the career experiences of African American female engineers and explore their challenges and support systems during their career development. This qualitative study utilized a life history approach and was designed using basic interpretive inquiry. There were nine African American female participants in the study who currently worked in an engineering field within an engineering industry. Using an ecological model to ground the study, the findings were categorized as macrosystem (environment) or microsystem (individual) factors. The highlight of this manuscript includes a focus on implications, which offer insight into recruiting and retaining African American female engineers. Introduction The critical need for underrepresented groups in STEM, specifically African American women, is noted in the literature (e.g., Engineering Workforce Commission, 2006, 2010; NSF/Division of Science Resources Statistics, 2010a, 2010b, 2010c; Rice & Alfred, 2014). At a National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME) roundtable, Nick Donofrio, Executive Vice President of Innovation and Technology for IBM, stressed the importance of diversity in the STEM fields stating, “We are going to run out of talent unless we get more women and underrepresented minorities going to college to study STEM” (as cited in NACME, 2008, p. 4). Nick reinforced, “Other countries are going to outnumber us in graduating engineers, but we need diversity of thought and innovation to stay ahead. We need women and minorities, or we have a bleak future” (p. 4). Increasing gender and racial/ethnic representation in STEM fields, generally and in leadership, is paramount to future success in the US and globally. The purpose of this study was to examine the career experiences of African American female engineers in order to better recruit and retain this group in the field. Specifically, one of the primary purposes was to understand what factors contributed to them entering and remaining in the profession. Therefore, the underlying focus of the study was to learn what factors served as support systems and challenges for the women as they navigated their paths to becoming and remaining engineers in the workplace. The life history approach (Cole & Knowles, 2001), allowed the participants to share their lives and the factors that contributed to their career development from early childhood experiences, throughout their academic career, and to their current roles in an engineering function. Using the ecological framework (Bronfenbrenner, 1977; Cook, Heppner, & O’Brien, 2002) to ground the study, the data were analyzed and the next section provides a summary of the findings relative to the system level: microsystem or AFRICAN AMERICAN FEMALE ENGINEERS Journal of Research Initiatives 2 macrosystem. This overview is based on research that was reported as personal and structural elements of support for African American female engineers (Rice & Alfred, 2014) and personal and structural challenges influencing the career experiences of African American female engineers (Rice, In Press). After the summary of findings, the critical addition to this body of work includes the implications for each area of the STEM pipeline. In the microsystem (individual level), the support systems included a positive and secure self-image combined with determination and perseverance. Their internal beliefs were the grounding attributes for the women’s support systems, which provided a strong foundation for the challenges they incurred. The challenges that emerged in the microsystem were discovered during the participant’s college careers. The participants struggled with a lack of discipline and focus, difficulty learning how to seek assistance, and adjusting to the program rigor. These challenges typically occurred between their sophomore and junior year, as they transitioned from feeling comfortable with content covered in the basic courses to learning advanced engineering concepts. The women realized they had to work differently, and utilized support systems in their external environments. Ultimately, they persevered and graduated from their respective colleges and universities. In the macrosystem (external environment), the family unit provided the underlying support system for the African American women and established the academic expectations for their path. Family support was complemented by teachers and counselors in the K-12 domain and minimally at the college level. For the African American women, interactions with these adults, during that particular time of their lives, provided confirmation and confidence that they were cognitively capable of succeeding in the engineering realm from an academic perspective. Some of the participants stated having one professor whom they felt believed in their academic capabilities and cared about their success as a student at the university. This of course, was not the norm. Nevertheless the single cases, where professors showed interest and care for the student, were significant and appreciated. In the collegiate arena, the participants received vital support by attending pre-college programs, utilizing university resources (financial and human), and tapping into and connecting with the minority network. The systems of support provided comfort when dealing with the limited representation of women and students of color, uncaring and unsupportive professors, and feeling excluded from the majority peer environment. At the professional workplace, the women survived and thrived, in some cases, due to caring mentors, supportive managers, and a fluid company structure, which supported their personal career progression goals. On the other hand, they had to deal with a lack of diversity in the workplace and negative experiences due to their age, race, or gender, or combination of those factors. Figure 1 presents a representation of the findings from the study. The dotted lines identify the challenges. The single line denotes the systems of support for the participants. AFRICAN AMERICAN FEMALE ENGINEERS Journal of Research Initiatives 3 Figure 1 Graphical Representation of the Research Findings Thus far, the summary of findings has focused on what was found based on the data that emerged from the participants. However, it is also important to note what was not found in the data, based on the themes presented in the literature. One of the common themes addressed in the Findings Microsystem Macrosystem