I woke up earlier this morning, saw the date on my clock, and thought of women who were murdered 30 years ago today because a man was angry they were at engineering school. I was a teenager, very good at math & science. Five years later, I started engineering school.
Marking December 6 wasn’t always the national event that it is now, but engineering schools marked it from the beginning. As a female engineering student who could speak French, I was asked on multiple years to hold a white rose, a candle, and say a French name.
I remember the face of my one and only female engineering professor, Dr. Geneviève Dumas. She’s an expert in biomechanics. I interviewed her once for an assignment in my social sciences & humanities elective.
Now, 30 years later, the day marks violence against all women. I think this is good. It’s good for ethical and social reasons, and it’s personally relevant for me. A woman I love is still missing teeth. She is out of that relationship now. He never had a gun, thank goodness.
.@anne_theriault published an essay yesterday about the importance of focusing on women who belong to groups that are more marginalized, less advantaged, and receive less attention. It’s good. I recommend reading it. flare.com/news/ecole-pol…
Yet somehow, this morning, I can’t help thinking very specifically about all the women I know in engineering. So many of us did our degrees after Poly in Dec 1989. Undergrad enrolment in engineering in Canada was 16% women in 1991, 18% when I started in 1994. It was 22% in 2017.
Source for those percentages: research.swe.org/2016/08/canada…
The rise over 30 years has been slight overall, and it has gone up and down. The years 1991-1994 were the fastest rise, though still not dramatic. But, as one of the 7436 in 1994, I sometimes wonder how many of those 7435, like me, felt extra motivation to take our place.
“Take our place” is an imperfect translation of a French expression, “prendre sa place” which does not have an exact English equivalent. It means sort of to take up space that belongs to you, because you belong in it.
Anyway, today, I’m thinking about 14 women, and all my fellow women who did or are doing engineering degrees, especially all the women at Polytechnique. The world will be better when every single person is welcomed to realize their full potential, in engineering and all spheres.
Threading a few more tweets & articles I recommend reading:
