Women in science, engineering and technology: Changing roles and perception within the technical services industries

Abstract

Services have surpassed agriculture and manufacturing as the leading contributor to gross domestic product in the world today. As the global economy has become more integrated and the demand for a workforce required to run service-focused organizations in an efficient manner grows, the level and variety of skills needed in this new service economy have also changed and grown. In particular, the growth rate of technology-driven service industries is significantly outpacing the growth in other service-oriented sectors. It has been argued that women in general possess many characteristics that make them optimal candidates to fulfill this workforce gap. However, the percentage of women enrolled in engineering, technology and related programs have been dropping. This study attempts to create an awareness of the skills and job roles required for future labor workforce demands in the engineering and technology services industry and argues that these current and future roles makes them more appealing to women. © Medwell Journals, 2009.