2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Although women’s under-representation in engineering has been well-documented, it remains a pressing issue. As such, it is necessary to examine factors that contribute to persistence in engineering among the few women that do enter this highly male-dominated field. The chilly climate in STEM fields is often cited as a source of women’s attrition from engineering. At the same time, gender scholars have posited that gender identities can vary among individuals, which in turn, can shape their lived experiences.

Given the masculine culture of engineering, undergraduate women who view their gender identity as more typically feminine may relate less to their engineering peers. Thus, the purpose of this full research paper is to examine the relationship between gender typicality and undergraduate women’s feelings of being included by their engineering classmates. This paper will explore the following research questions: (1) What is the relationship between gender typicality and women’s feelings of being included by female engineering peers? (2) What is the relationship between gender typicality and women’s feelings of being included by male engineering peers? To address these questions, the paper will utilize quantitative survey data from a sample of approximately 420 undergraduate women of racially diverse backgrounds from across the U.S. who are studying engineering and participate in an engineering professional organization focused on supporting women in engineering and technology. Key findings include differences in feelings of being included by female and male peers. Importantly, contrasting patterns between women’s gender typicality and feelings of being included by female and male engineering peers, respectively, were also observed.