The Dean of the School of Engineering Sciences at the University of Ghana, Prof. Elsie Effah Kaufmann, has expressed concern over the low number of women in engineering and other technical professions, noting that the gender gap remains significant despite gradual improvements in female participation at the academic level.
Speaking on EdTech Monday with Bernard Avle on Channel One TV on Monday, April 26, on the theme “Closing the Gender Gap in Education,” Prof. Kaufmann highlighted persistent disparities in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) space.
She noted that while women make up about 25% of professionals in technical fields broadly, the situation is more pronounced in engineering, where the figure is estimated at around 10%.
“In engineering, it’s worse. It’s about 10% thereabouts,” she said.
Prof. Kaufmann explained that although enrolment of female students in engineering programmes has improved over the years, the gap remains wide at the professional level.
She revealed that when the University of Ghana established its School of Engineering Sciences, female enrolment stood at about 12% to 15%. However, through sustained advocacy and targeted interventions, that figure has now increased to between 30% and 32%.
Despite this progress at the academic level, she stressed that the transition into professional engineering practice remains a major challenge.
“If you look at the professional field, I recently had to give a talk at Femitech, and I reached out to the Ghana Institution of Engineering. I asked, ‘Let’s talk about the population of female engineers in the professional association,’ and I was told it is about 10%,” she added.
Prof. Kaufmann emphasised the need for continued efforts to encourage more girls to pursue engineering and to support their progression into professional roles within the sector.
