THE STORIES

1950-2015
A Profile
of The Woman Engineer
SWE was one of very few organizations equipped to provide data about women
engineers in the 1950s and 1960s. To better answer questions from the government,
engineering organizations and the media, the statistics committee conducted a
survey of SWE members in 1961.
The results were compiled in a short 1963 report
titled A Profile of a Woman Engineer. Summarizing
the 1963 report, the committee explained that:
“The average woman engineer of today is
between 36 and 37 years old. She is equally
likely to be married or single, but if married has
three children. She is employed by industry
and earns a median salary of between 9 and 10
thousand dollars per year. A college graduate,
she has a bachelor’s degree in engineering or
one of the physical sciences and either has
a graduate degree or has taken specialized
training, related to her work, at the graduate
level. She is a member of one or more of the
technical societies. She is unlikely to be a
licensed professional engineer.”
SWE surveyed its members numerous times in
the 1970s and early 1980s to update subsequent
editions of A Profile of a Woman Engineer. The
survey also became more involved over the
years, questioning respondents about their
specializations, the nature of their work, their level
of experience and the degree to which they had
supervisory responsibilities. The last edition of A
Profile of a Woman Engineer, published in 1984,
found that:
“The typical woman engineer…is about
27 years old, holds a bachelor’s degree in
mechanical engineering, and lives on the
West Coast of the United States. She works
full time for a private industry in her field of
specialization and is most likely to be married
without children.
“Since not all women engineers are typical,
the following is a presentation of general
differences and similarities obtained from the
survey. The majority of respondents (64%) have
earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited
school. About 23% have continued their
education to obtain a master’s degree, and
6% have acquired a doctorate.
“In general, the average salary of the woman
engineer is less than that of the average
engineer…Women engineers are young: 64%
of the total sample were between the ages
of 22 and 30.”
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ABOVE: As reported in the Society’s 1963 A Profile of a
Woman Engineer survey, on average single SWE members
earned higher salaries than their married peers, particularly
by the end of their careers.
Cover of the first A Profile of a Woman Engineer, published in
1963, based on a 1961 survey of SWE members.
TOP LEFT: Nancy Cross, nuclear engineer at Oak Ridge
National Laboratory, works at her desk, circa 1960s.
MIDDLE LEFT: Cover of the Society’s 1972 edition of A
Profile of a Woman Engineer.
MIDDLE INSET: SWE found in its 1972 edition of A Profile
of a Woman Engineer that 60% of members had no direct
or indirect supervisory responsibilities; 14% reported that
they supervised a team or unit; 11% supervised a project
or section; 10% managed a major department, division or
program; and 5% had general management responsibilities
for their organizations.
BOTTOM LEFT: Engineer Mary Munger from the Pratt &
Whitney Aircraft Division of the United Aircraft Corporation
inspects equipment, circa 1960s.
BACKGROUND PHOTO: SWE President Pat Brown
displays a chart with SWE members’ engineering disciplines
and job responsibilities, taken from the 1963 A Profile of a
Woman Engineer.
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Visit SWE.ORG/WEBUILTTHIS to get a closer look at the images.
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