Engineering and gender issues—evidence from low-income countries

Engineers' work has an impact on society, economically, environmentally and socially. However, society is not uniform and some people will benefit or be adversely impacted more than others. Access to decision making is one important factor in determining the impact on different social groups. In low-income countries, the development of infrastructure can transform the domestic chores of collecting water, fuel or food and can improve the local environment through improved sanitation. Many of these tasks are the responsibility of women, yet they can be excluded from the development process. Engineers can contribute to the inclusion of socially excluded groups of people through increasing the involvement of men and women in engineering decision making and adopting technologies that suit women's needs, resulting in better infrastructure and more equitable societies.