On a regular basis, I come across articles where the author bemoans the lack of women in the technical industries. The author, usually a man, posits all sorts of theories of why women don't want to become engineers or scientists - we don't like math, we don't like to solve problems, we don't like the solitary-type of work, we aren't competitive, we aren't team players because we didn't play sports as kids, and on and on.

I hold a BS in Mechanical Engineering. I have worked as a mechanical engineer and CAD Manager for more than twenty years. Do I like math? You bet! Do I like to solve problems? I love it! Did I play competitive sports as a kid? Well, I played softball most of my childhood and still play in a women's league. Don't like solitary work? You have got to be kidding me....nothing I like better than spending a day with just me and my computer with nobody bugging me.

Here's what I don't like....I don't like being in a meeting with more than one male engineer. When it is one on one, the male engineer will listen to my ideas and work with me. As soon as there is more than one man in the room, the dynamics change. Suddenly, I am invisible. The two men engage and immediately compete to see which one of them is the better nerd. I have lost track of the number of times I have been interrupted, talked over, and ignored in an engineering meeting...things men never or rarely do to each other. I have also lost track of the number of times I have made a suggestion or put forth an idea that was ignored...only to have one of the men repeat the same thing ten minutes later to great applause. And it wasn't because he said it better...9 times out of 10 he will repeat what I said word for word.

I also don't like being relegated to secretarial duties because, gosh, women are better typists, communicators, or whatever other patronizing thing the men want to say. I am sick of being stuck with the documentation, the specs, the training materials, the contract review, or whatever...especially when I am the senior engineer on the team...isn't that something the junior guy is supposed to be doing?

After work, the male engineers may want to go out for dinner and drinks....well, guess what? Most women engineers have to go home and make dinner and be mommy. We can't go out and socialize like that...at least not on a regular basis and my husband doesn't really want me going out drinking with male co-workers...go figure. Of course, during those outings, the men are discussing works, assigning tasks, etc. and it is not a huge surprise to come into work the next morning to find out that I have been assigned the project that none of the male engineers wanted to handle...because it was a) too much work or b) too boring.

Gee, I can't understand why women would not want to jump into an industry that treats them in such a wonderful way. Did you notice that none of my reasons had anything to do with not liking math and everything to do with the way some men treat women? Maybe when men start behaving like better team players, women will want to be on their team.