Erika Kangas and Iva Shallvari are the engineers of their own career fates, meaning there was no hemming and hawing about how they would apply their math and science skills in university.
Since childhood, the Ontario residents have had their sights set on careers in engineering — goals that run contrary to the norm, as statistics show declining numbers of female students in Canadian undergraduate university programs.
They don't know each other, but Ms. Kangas, an aerospace engineering student at Ryerson University in Toronto, and Ms. Shallvari, studying mechanical engineering at the University of Windsor, have a lot in common.
The twentysomething students were self-motivated when it came to choosing engineering, and are in their fourth and final years of their undergrad programs. And both are on track to apply their education in transportation areas when they enter the male-dominated engineering world.
They also have similar ideas about why more women aren't attracted to engineering.
Originally from Sudbury, and with a number of her family members in the aerospace field, Ms. Kangas will be working for Bombardier Aerospace this summer before returning to Ryerson in September for the two-year master's of science program.
"I have always had an interest in aircraft and the innovation that is involved in their design. Growing up, I travelled extensively and aircraft made an early impression upon me," says the 23-year-old.
"Engineering is a highly technical field of study and practice, and unfortunately it remains to be a male-dominated field, and many women may find this intimidating," Ms. Kangas adds.
Ms. Shallvari, 22, was born in Albania and moved with her family to Windsor, Ont., six years ago. She applied to the University of Windsor's engineering program with no prodding.
"So far, I have found the course challenging yet rewarding," she says. "I have had the opportunity to co-op at the Chrysler R&D centre, as well as work on designing and building a prototype race car to compete against other schools on an international level."
After completing her fourth year in the automotive option of her four-year program, Ms. Shallvari plans to pursue a master's degree in the area of vehicle dynamics and active chassis control, and later work in the field.
As for why many other young women don't share her engineering drive, Ms. Shallvari says, "I believe there is a societal discouragement toward women succeeding in the field of science and engineering."
While Ms. Kangas and Ms. Shallvari say they've been welcomed at their universities, engineering schools are struggling to boost enrolment levels of women, despite stepped-up recruiting efforts, numerous special scholarships and bursaries, and various outreach programs and special events involving female engineers and grad students.
According to the Canadian Coalition of Women in Engineering, Science, Trades and Technology (CCWESTT), the proportion of women enrolled in undergrad engineering programs has been declining steadily since 2002, from a peak of 20.7 per cent in 2001 to 17.5 per cent in 2005, after nearly a decade of slowly increasing numbers.
The coalition also says "the absolute numbers" of female engineering students have dropped by 7 per cent over the five years, while those of their male peers have increased by 14.6 per cent. In 2005, 9,588 women were enrolled across Canada, and 45,266 men.
There are also low numbers of female engineering grads in the work force, and who remain in the profession. For instance, the 2001 census found that women made up a little more than 11 per cent of the Canadian engineering work force. And a survey of 6,000 U.S. engineering grads published last year by the Chicago-based Society of Women Engineers found that one in four women leaves engineering after age 30, compared with only one in 10 men.
But ask experts like CCWESTT president Judy Myers and Frankie Stewart, an engineering professor at Ryerson, what lies behind the drop in female enrolment, and they're at a loss for concrete answers.
