Female Engineering Education in the University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa – Ghana

Abstract

The study investigated the female engineering education in the University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa. Numerous studies have examined the participation of women in engineering education, and the reasons for the low number of female engineers are complex. The University of Mines and Technology established a gender mainstreaming policy in 2005 with the goal of raising female enrollment to 25% by 2014. Data on admission and completion rates were gathered for the study from the 2004/2005 through 2015/2016 academic years. The study found that female admission rates gradually rose from a low of 4.6 percent in 2005 to a maximum of 22.1 percent in the academic year 2010–2011. The next year, there was a dramatic decline to 12.8%, and by 2015, it had averaged out at 14%. Analysis of department-by-department admission data shows that though engineering is generally regarded as a “men’s sphere,” within the engineering programmes some are more preferred by females to others. For the period under consideration, the preferences at UMaT are in the order; ES > CE > GL > PE > GM > EL > MR > MN > MA > MC. The study concluded that there has been a steady increase in the enrollment and completion rate for females in engineering programmes. It was recommended that UMaT and other engineering institutions in Ghana should vigorously pursue female enrollment drive to ensure higher enrolment and completion rate for female students in engineering programmes.

Keywords: UMaT, Female admission, Gender mainstreaming, engineering.

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/13-21-04

Publication date:June 30^th 2022