Factors Affecting Bahraini Women Working in the Engineering Fields

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the current level of contribution of Bahraini women to the engineering fields in the Kingdom of Bahrain, while specifically examining the factors that affect Bahraini women in the engineering profession. This study determines the extent to which the principles and policies of equal opportunity are implemented and their effect on the participation of women in such fields. To achieve the aims of this study, factors such as observation of work environment, characteristics, family responsibilities, culture, and equal opportunity (bias) are discussed and analyzed. This study relies on the descriptive approach, where questionnaires, which were distributed to Bahraini women engineers in both government and private sectors in different positions, are used to collect data. The sample of the respondents was drawn from different age groups and experience levels. The study shows that Arab societies need to support women engineers and try their best to increase the number participating in the engineering fields, which play an important role in the process of economic growth. From the diversity of attitudes and experiences, the status of Bahraini women engineers is not satisfactory at the present time because they must be allowed to participate in the engineering fields equally with their male counterparts in order to improve themselves and their presence and achieve equivalence in engineering fields.