A Less-than-Optimal Workplace

The unfortunate fact remains that, in many engineering workplaces, people who are racially or ethnically diverse and females are treated differently than white males, often in subtle forms such as in their not being offered choice assignments, or in not being given timely and appropriate information to make informed decisions, or in not being asked to work-related social events. 

Stereotypes about minorities and females continue to abound (as they do for white males) - sometimes to the extreme extent that people simply do not recognize females and minorities as engineers (for instance, assuming that they are administrative assistants or spouses). Minority and female engineers have been viewed as not competent, skilled, or knowledgeable enough, or as not having the intellect to complete complex tasks. The covert perception is that minorities and females are less likely to handle the pressures of complexity in their jobs than their white male counterparts. 

Females and minorities perceive this uncertainty about their abilities, and know they are often under intense scrutiny and the object of unreasonable expectations. These perceptions often drive females and minorities to prove themselves by working significantly harder than their non-minority male counterparts. At the same time, they become unwilling to reach out for assistance for fear of being seen as incompetent. 

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