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TERRA ECONOMICUS

Engineering profession for women: Institutional barriers to entry


TERRA ECONOMICUS, Vol. 23, No 3,

Citation: Rastimeshina T.V., Strizhak A.Y., Brizhak O.V., Polyakov R.K. (2025). Engineering profession for women: Institutional barriers to entry. Terra Economicus 23(3), 97–113 (in Russian). DOI: 10.18522/2073-6606-2025-23-3-97-113

Acknowledgment:

This article deals with institutional barriers that hinder women’s full integration into the engineering profession in the Russian economy. Our aim is to identify and analyze a set of socio-economic, cultural, and educational barriers, which form gender disparity in the technical field, and develop recommendations to level them in order to enhance women’s contributions to technological development. An interdisciplinary approach was used, combining elements from institutional economic theory, sociology, psychology and law. Empirical data was collected through a questionnaire survey among female students at Russian universities, and factor analysis was employed. The findings revealed significant influences from cultural factors, fashion trends, gender segregation on the labor market, as well as traditional family roles, and educational policies (early specialization, focus on humanities). Religious beliefs, by contrast, have less impact. In conclusion, we state that women’s entry into engineering profession in Russia is impeded by various institutional barriers stemming from social norms and stereotypes. This emphasizes the need for concerted efforts by the state, education institutions, and society at large to address these barriers. The authors call for further research into this area, considering regional differences and examining the career paths of women engineers.

Keywords: engineering profession; socio-economic processes; gender issues; STEM careers; technological creation; institutional barriers
JEL codes: А10; O14; O15; J16


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Publisher: Southern Federal University
ISSN: 2073-6606