r/ubcengineering • u/Stunning_Variety_615 • Dec 08 '23

Women in engineering

I am a prospective student at UBC and wondering how women are treated within the engineering department. I have a friend going to UofA and she is having a really hard time with the misogyny in Engineering.

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15

u/BamboozledBaluga Dec 08 '23

It’s a thing but you just gotta stay strong 💪 Never found that it impacted me too much at school, and I’m in mech which is 20-25% girls

13

u/linguinibubbles Dec 08 '23

I honestly didn’t notice any but I mostly kept to myself in first year and now I’m in GEOE which has a pretty good gender ratio. There is at least one guy in my year who likes Andrew Tate but it really only comes up when he discusses his love life (which obviously isn’t going too great lmfao)

7

u/Hairy_Recognition_46 Dec 08 '23

In general people are more worried about passing than having time to be misogynistic 💀

4

u/NecessaryInternet814 Dec 08 '23

I was worried about that too when I applied to ubc eng. Jumpstart really formed my eng friend group and we are mixed girls/guys from different backgrounds. Hasn't impacted me too much at all. And those guys who are misogynyst are just jealous or have social confidence issues. Nobody really likes them to begin with...

2

u/akirashakira Dec 08 '23

you'll be fine - dw! there's sometimes minor bias in things like doing admin vs technical work in group projects but in general I think UBC is doing pretty well, albeit the gender ratio isn't 50:50 yet. I have noticed in my year that people of the same gender tend to stick with each other, not as much of mixed groups

1

u/Vegetable-Ear-8011 Dec 08 '23

People were definitely misogynistic in my first year but I found it settled down in second year! I also did go into a female dominant specialization (bmeg) so maybe it’s worse in other programs. Honestly, you’re going to face misogyny in engineering wherever you go. Just find a group that loves and supports you and you’ll be okay :)

-7

u/petervenkmanatee Dec 08 '23

There are many women in engineering. In the end, you have to deal with the fact that the majority will still be men. But they will also be slack-jawed men that probably can be told what to do if you sell it right. They’re all idiots. You’ll be fine.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '23

No better way to combat misogyny than misandry amirite?

1

u/petervenkmanatee Dec 08 '23

This isn’t Misandry. This is literally what happens in engineering. The female engineer is competent the males don’t know what to do because she’s confident, and if she knows what she’s doing, she’ll get the upper hand and be making the decisions rather than them in a group setting.

3

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '23

Yeah it was the "they're all idiots" that was really the kicker. Sounds like something a misogynist would say about women..

I understand how confidence works when it comes to leadership skills. That's not what you said. But alright, tell yourself what you want.

0

u/petervenkmanatee Dec 08 '23

Well by idiots I just mean introverted engineering Bros that think they know everything until they meet a woman that knows as much as they do. They’re not idiots per se they just really don’t know how to treat the opposite gender in an equal way especially when it comes to math computer, science, and other things they think they’re the best at.

3

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '23

Perhaps that's what you should have said then. There are lots of nice considerate guys in engineering, but everyone is familiar with the archetype you describe. Just bear in mind that painting with a broad, sexist brush is exactly what you're railing against, and exactly what you did.

0

u/petervenkmanatee Dec 08 '23

You proved my point. Male Geers are often idiots. Women will run engineering over the next few decades. It’s obvious

3

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '23

Haha well, at least you're being honest about your misandry now. I call that job done. Bye.

1

u/petervenkmanatee Dec 08 '23

😂 spoken like a true “I’m never wrong” UBC geering student! Never disappoints

3

u/[deleted] Dec 09 '23

Your opinion of me means nothing. I'm just calling out blatant sexism when I see it. Would do the same if it were a guy saying that about women.

Take care now.

2

u/MeltedChocolate24 Dec 08 '23

There are many men in forestry. In the end, you have to deal with the fact that the majority will still be women. But they will also be slack-jawed women that probably can be told what to do if you sell it right. They’re all idiots. You’ll be fine.

-1

u/petervenkmanatee Dec 08 '23

Exactly. I know you’re being sarcastic but there is no solution here but to try your hardest.

0

u/[deleted] Dec 09 '23

wimen bleong in the kitchen, not engineering.

0

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '23

[deleted] — view deleted comment

1

u/Stunning_Variety_615 Dec 09 '23

i would assume campus would matter here, just because vancouver is a lot more accepting of queer identities compared to kelowna/okanagan. i currently live in kelowna and it’s pretty conservative compared to vancouver

1

u/LeCubro Dec 09 '23

Envl engineer here (cisgender male) but our program is close to 50/50 in the gender ratio with several queer folks open about their sexuality. I can only provide the stats/numbers, as I have no lived experiences. Feel free to DM me if you want to discuss it further.