Trailblazing women who broke into engineering in the 1970s reflect on what’s changed – and what hasn’t

Trailblazing women who broke into engineering in the 1970s reflect on what’s changed – and what hasn’t: Engineering in the U.S. has long been – and continues to be – a male-dominated profession. Fifty years ago, it looked like that might change. In 1970, the percentage of women majoring in engineering was less than 1%. In 1979, that number was 9%. Many hoped women would continue to enter the field at the same rate. But that’s not what happened. Today, only 21% of engineering majors are women, a number largely unchanged since 2000.