FEMALE FACULTY MEMBERS IN THE FIELD OF ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING: THE CASE OF GREEK UNIVERSITIES

Abstract

Issues concerning the presence and professional development of women in the academic world have occupied the social sciences since the 1980s. The purpose of this study is to trace the presence and prospects for professional employment and development of women faculty members in the field of Electrical and Computer Engineering (E.C.E.) in the case of Greek universities, at the start of the 21st century. Sources for this research were women who teach in E.C.E. departments in Greek universities. The research data come from phone interviews with female professors who work in the E.C.E. departments, and from information drawn from the secretary’s offices and the websites of the specific departments. The most significant research findings revealed that in the field of E.C.E. in Greece, the social structural difference between the sexes still survive. This fact creates difficulties for the career progression and professional development of women, who also face difficulties in their work due to the commitments which are involved in the fulfillment of the demands of the role of mother. In addition, many of the difficulties faced by these particular women in their career result from the activating of prejudices concerning the female gender, which seems to be invading the ‘male dominated’ field of E.C.E. in the case of Greek universities. Key words: Electrical and Computer Engineering, female faculty members, Greece, universities.