Systems engineers;Technical leadership;Working life;Diversity;Sociotechnical systems;EWLSE
Abstract
This paper gives an overview of the situation for Swedish female engineers at an engineer-ing-dense company (Saab Group) and societal factors of impact for their situation. We have interviewed five generations of female engineers and let them share their personal experiences. Some key findings are that the older generation has paved the way for the younger, but that has in many cases been costly for the individuals. The changes in society have contributed to better conditions for female engineers, e.g., the parental leave compensation and possibility for childcare at a low cost. A remaining problem is the lower proportion of female technical leaders compared to female systems engineers. They are often head-hunted for roles as project manager or line manager, and therefore the technical leader roles still are heavily male dominated.