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Women are more likely to quit engineering jobs because of an uncomfortable work environment than for family reasons, according to a new University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee study.

Nearly half of the women surveyed who left the engineering field said it was because of working conditions and issues such as a lack of career advancement and low salary.

One in four left to spend more time with family.

More than 3,700 women, with degrees from 230 universities, have completed the ongoing, online survey supported by a $500,000 National Science Foundation grant.

Respondents fall into four groups: those who are currently working as engineers; those who received an engineering degree but never entered the field; those who left the profession more than five years ago; and those who left less than five years ago.

"Some women are leaving because of family issues, but that's not the majority who responded to our survey," said Nadya Fouad, a UW-Milwaukee professor of educational psychology and the study's co-author.

One third of the women who did not enter engineering after graduation said it was because of their perceptions of the field as being inflexible, or of the workplace culture as being non-supportive of women.

"Engineering school was pure hell for me," one survey respondent wrote. "My personality inspired much sexist behavior from my male classmates and my teaching assistants. At some point, after many interviews, I decided that I wouldn't want to spend the majority of my waking hours with the type of people interviewing me."

Women engineers who were treated in a condescending, patronizing manner, and were belittled and undermined by their supervisors and co-workers, were most likely to want to leave their organizations, according to the study.

Long working hours, unclear work objectives and a lack of company planning also drove women to leave the field.

"Engineering firms aren't respectful of the work-home boundary," one respondent wrote. "At the firm I worked for, engineers were expected to take work home, work late, or travel often with little warning."

Men could have the same complaints, but they haven't left the field as often.

"This study touched a nerve with so many women," Fouad said. "Those who stay in the field differ in that they have supportive supervisors and co-workers, and they have very clear perceptions of their jobs and how they can advance in the field."

The study's results were fairly consistent with research done five years ago by the Society of Women Engineers.

Women comprise more than 20% of engineering school graduates, but only 11% of practicing engineers are female, according to the National Science Foundation.

"It's really crucial to the nation that we not lose this talent," said Betty Shanahan, executive director and CEO of the Society of Women Engineers.

Many companies have struggled with employee retention.

"There are probably quite a few male engineers who aren't necessarily thrilled with the workplace climate," said Charlene Yauch, Industrial Engineering program director and associate professor at the Milwaukee School of Engineering.

The study recommends that colleges give women a more realistic preview of engineering tasks and workplace cultures.

It also says companies should have zero tolerance for bad behavior.

"We hope to reach out to men as well," Fouad said about another study she wants to do.