Maharti Triharta

Project Description

Applying the framework of sustainability in the context of careers is valuable in addressing the shorter career cycle of female engineers in Australia. The high attrition of female engineers in their 30s coinciding with the child-bearing years remains prevalent, with studies pointing towards masculine workplace cultures resulting in a spectre of reproductive choices. Further, there is staggering evidence of low fertility among female engineers. As biological reproductive differences are often overlooked in addressing the career sustainability of female engineers, there are no direct studies correlating the spectre and the low fertility to date. This interdisciplinary research aims to address the career sustainability issues of female engineers by utilising a career framework that ensures a person-career fits through the critical ages of reproductive choices, navigating through the dynamic of fast-changing occupational and slow-changing workplace cultural contexts. Two conjunct empirical studies from the individual (i.e., supply) and organisational (i.e., demand) perspectives will be conducted. The supply perspective will investigate the population of engineers in Australia on their timing of reproductive choices and how these choices impact the sustainability of their careers, and the demand perspective will analyse the strategies implemented by organisations to minimise the impact of reproductive choices in the career progression of female engineers and how these strategies correspond to the sustainability of their career. The holistic perspectives strive for sustainable career structures for the female population of the engineering profession in Australia.

Supervisors

Professor Elaine Wong,  School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Professor Sally Male, Teaching And Learning Lab
Associate Professor Victor Sojo Monzon, Department of Management and Marketing