[KenWittlief]

It would be interesting to check the statistics: what percent of freshman enrolled at engineering universities this year, female & male? It would be a good indication of where we are, and by looking at past years, what is the trend?

One of the great dis-services that happened in the 70s and the 80s was confusing "equal" with "same".

Women and men should absolutely have equal rights, equal opportunities, equal encouragement and at the same time we need to understand and acknowledge the genuine differences in the way that men and women think, feel and interact with the world.

Some of those differences are a result of our culture, and some are due to the way our brains are wired. If you ignore the differences you are setting yourself up for frustration, grief, and in some cases failure.

Please dont take my comments the wrong way. Women can be excellent engineers, and men can be excellent nurses, but men and women are clearly drawn towards some occupations and shy away from others.

If we think that half of all engineers should be women by a certain date in the future, it would be best to first stop and understand why you think that is true?