For
most women in Egypt, the government and public sector
are the main sources of jobs in science and engineering.
Private sector employers tend to prefer male engineers
because they are not faced with the same constraints related
to relocation and child rearing. In the past the government
required all engineers to do two years of government service
and provide jobs for all engineering colleges graduates,
but now with the increasing number of engineers and privatization
of the industry, women are having a harder time finding
work. This is especially true in relation to construction
companies and consulting engineering, areas in which women
are scarcely represented. Fortunately, the unemployment
rate of new graduates of engineering colleges is still
quite low (3.7%) compared with other new graduates of
professions like commerce (37%), however the majority
of those unemployed are women.
Advancement
in academia depends upon excellence in research and professional
activities, so the existing laws play a role in determining
who moves on to higher positions. This means that women
have an equal chance of being promoted up to a professor
and a chair of a department based on merit. However, when
it comes to the high level positions that are selected
by high authorities (such as dean of a college or president
of a university), women have a much lower chance of getting
the position. The decision makers are mostly men and are
unlikely to select a woman to such a powerful position.
One
other factor that should be considered when it comes to
women in the workforce is the issue of maternity leave.
Under current laws, women are allowed only 40 days off
for maternity leave, 10 days during pregnancy and 30 days
of paid leave after giving birth in the private sector.
Government employees are eligible for 3 paid months and
one year of unpaid leave of absence (renewable for up
to six years). It means that women in the private sector
are at the mercy of company policy. Some women who
choose to take time off to care for their children face
losing their jobs permanently.
There
are professional engineering societies that sponsor events
like conferences and seminars, but none of these societies
consist solely of women and the idea of a separate society
for women engineers is still deemed unacceptable from
the majority of men engineers. The National Council for
Women was formed in the beginning of the 21st century
and defends the right of women in general. It has many
committees that try to enforce the position of women in
all fields. Women engineers can join all kinds of international
engineering organizations such as the International
Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering
(ISSMGE), International
Society for Rock Mechanics (ISRM), International
Association for Engineering Geology and the Environment,
International
Liaison Group for Engineering Education, Institute
of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and
the International Society
for Optical Engineering (SPIE) etc., and use these
organizations to create contacts and advance their own
careers.
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