Gender Bias Limiting Career Advancement of Women Engineers

Bassey Inyang in Calabar

The President, Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria, APWEN, Dr. Adebisi Osim, has complained about the existence of gender bias in the workplace against women in the engineering profession.

The APWEN president made the complaint yesterday in Calabar, Cross River State, during the opening ceremony of a five-day 2024 International Conference and Annual General Meeting (AGM), saying that the bias against women has led to instances of limitations of career advancement opportunities for professional women engineers.

Osim lamented that the biases have created barriers to entry, and success in Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematic (STEM) fields for women.

She said that due to the negative trend of gender bias,the APWEN has faced several challenges in promoting women in STEM fields in the current year.

Speaking on the theme: ‘Engineering Innovations and Energy Security For Sustainable Future’, she said that insufficient funding is hindering women-led researches.

Osim appealed that all hands should be on deck to support women engineers.

“We also faced insufficient funding for women-led research as without adequate resources, women engineers struggle to advance their work and make meaningful contributions to the field,” she said.

The APWEN president also mentioned migration of female engineers to Europe and America in search of the proverbial greener pastures as another challenge that has reduced the number of women engineers practicing in Nigeria.

She also called for efforts to be made at providing and ensuring the availability of STEM education in rural communities.

Osim said provision of access to STEM education would bridge the gap, and increase the number of women in the engineering profession.