A unicorn's tale: Examining the experiences of Black women in engineering industry

le: Examining the Experiences of Black Women in Engineering Industry. Major Professor: Allison Godwin. Black women have recently been identified as the most educated demographic in the United States, and yet they are grossly underrepresented in engineering. They comprise 6.4 % of the U.S. population and only 0.72 % of engineering industry. Meanwhile, maintain its prominence and leadership in a competitive global economy due to their contribution to maintaining and improving our infrastructures and standard of living. This significance to society has spawned national initiatives geared towards broadening participation in engineering. This research study was designed to explore the experiences of nine Black women engineers that have remained engaged in engineering for greater than ten years in order to better understand the factors that have contributed to their retention in the engineering workplace. This interpretative phenomenological analysis guided by social identity theory and intersectionality answers four research questions: How do Black women negotiate and make meaning of their engineering experiences? How do Black women develop and sustain their engineering identity throughout their engineering identities and racial, ethnic, and gender identities? What effect do (these potentially)

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