If Audrey Seybert, Lawrence sophomore and electrical engineering major, had picked a different field in engineering she would have been surrounded by women.
At The University of Kansas the number of women in engineering has been increasing. In 2006, there were 279 women in the school, or 19 percent of all engineering majors. This semester there are 349 women in the school or 20 percent of the school's students. The number of women has especially increased in the fields of chemical, biomedical and civil engineering.
But sitting among 40 students in her Circuits I class in Learned Hall, Seybert is one of only three women.
"Wherever the women engineers are, they aren't studying electrical engineering," Seybert said.
The number of women majoring in electrical engineering at KU has never been high. In Fall 2006, 12 women were enrolled in electrical engineering compared to 116 men. That number has barely increased with 15 women this semester in a pool of 127.
Glenn Prescott, department chair of electrical engineering and computer science, said the problem might be because of the way women are socialized as young girls.
"Taking things apart and putting them back together tends to be a male thing," he said. "All those traditions tend to take generations to overcome."
Jessica Scott, Gladstone, Mo. junior and electrical engineering major, said part of the reason may be because typically women are just not as interested in the way electronics work.
"I wouldn't say it's the math or the physics because every engineering degree needs that, "she said.
Sarah Seguin, assistant professor of electrical engineering, said that the low number of women in electrical engineering might also be because of the depictions of engineers as "nerdy" and "unattractive" in popular culture.
"With this type of portrayal in the media, why would anyone want to be an engineer, let alone a woman?" she said.
Robert Sorem, associate dean of undergraduate programs in the School of Engineering, said the school was offering more programs to interest women such as Engineers without Borders, a hands-on study abroad program that goes to underdeveloped countries and does engineering projects such as improving sanitation systems, and KU's chapter of the Society of Women Engineers.
"We grew 50 percent in size this year and have been able to send 11 girls to the SWE regional and national conferences each year," said Callie Statz, St. Louis junior and president of the University's chapter of the Society of Women Engineers.
Statz said over the past two years she's noticed a high number of women in architectural and chemical engineering, but very few women in electrical engineering and computer science.
"I'm not one hundred percent sure of the reasoning behind it," she said. "I believe many girls coming out of high school are not aware of the many options engineering offers."
The number of women in electrical engineering nationally, seems to be decreasing.
According to the Web site of the IEEE, formerly known as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, female membership decreased from 34, 478 members in 2006 to 32,364 members in 2007.
"The low number of women in engineering has been a problem for a long time and there appears to be no easy solution," said Ken Vollmar, chair of the IEEE for Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas and Southern Illinois.
Prescott said enrollment for both men and women in electrical engineering was at a low point right now.
"We go through a cycle like all other professions," he said.
This semester 127 students enrolled in electrical engineering at KU compared to 141 students in the spring.
Although enrollment is down, employers still want electrical engineers.
"Electrical engineers are hot right now," Seybert said. "Everyone is looking to hire some."
Prescott said he wasn't aware of any of KU's electrical engineering students not getting jobs after graduation.
"Every year at our career fair, there are literally hundreds of companies there looking to hire engineering students," Prescott said.
Seybert said she wasn't worried about finding a job after graduation. She only worried about deciding what type of job she wanted to go into.
"The possibilities are so endless, I hardly know where to look," she said.
Scott also isn't worried about finding a job after graduation.
"Because everything is electronic nowadays, there should always be a demand for electrical engineers," she said.
"The job market is obviously in transition currently, given the economic situation," said Cathy Schwabauer, director of Career Services at the School of Engineering. "Electrical engineering is a very broad engineering discipline and thus graduating students may be able to weather economic downturns a little better."
Employers offer electrical engineering graduates one of the highest salaries out of all engineering students.
A survey conducted by the School of Engineering in December 2007 and May 2008 showed that out of nine different engineering disciplines only petroleum and aerospace engineering graduates reported higher salaries than electrical engineering students. The average salary reported by electrical engineering students was $55, 421.
"If a female student graduates with an electrical engineering degree, a good internship or two, and a good GPA, companies will fight over her," Seybert said.
Seybert said that she may be in the minority within her major, but she doesn't regret her decision to go into electrical engineering.
"I chose engineering because it was hard and I knew that I would never be bored," she said. "And hey, I like to solve differential equations."
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