Two Generations of MIT Women Engineers

By Chris Miyachi

Thirty years ago, I was a college freshman embarking on a major in electrical engineering. I went on to graduate school at MIT (SM ’86/ Technology and Policy/Electrical Engineering), where I met my husband, who graduated from the Doctorate program. I later returned to MIT’s Sloan School of Management (SM 2001 in System Design and Management/SDM) when I had three children – a 2-year-old, a 5-year-old and a 7-year-old.

Today, that 7-year-old daughter, Mari, is an 18-year-old freshman majoring in Electrical Engineering (Course VI) at MIT. She shares many memories from my time at MIT. In fact, she keenly remembers watching the final robot competition in which I participated during the SDM program.

I have stayed in the field of electrical engineering/computer science since I first started on the journey. My choice to become an engineer was almost haphazard, as I was never a tinkerer or a hacker. I was strong in math and science, and that strength led me to pursue this career. Sensing a change in the air at the time, I felt privileged to be a woman in the field, forging my way for women behind me.

Although I contemplated leaving several times when my children were young, I have stayed in this career to this day. Of the few women that I graduated with at my university – about a dozen with almost five times as many men – I know of only one who stayed in the field.

Now I watch my daughter, who also seems to share the uncertainty that I once felt, embarking on a similar academic journey. Even so, I hear of fewer and fewer young women wanting to enter engineering as a career. I would have never dreamed thirty years ago, when I felt the doors open up so promisingly, that women would not be entering the field today. The graph below displays this static fact – and keep in mind, this is degrees awarded. I see many women drop out of the field after graduating.

For more details on the grim numbers, read this blog post with data from the NFS: https://blog.adafruit.com/2010/11/30/women-in-engineering-the-numbers/

Given these statistics, I decided to interview my daughter on why she chose engineering as her major, at least for now, and her plans to work in the field. We also shared our mutual experiences at MIT by answering the following questions together.

What made of you think of engineering as a career?

Mari	Chris
I was influenced by the fact that you and Dad were engineers. I was unsure what I wanted to major in, but I had always taken lots of math and science classes in high school and enjoyed the content. My college counsellor brought up engineering, and I had exposure, given my parents were both engineers, and the more I thought about it, the more I was interested in it.	A guidance counselor also mentioned it to me. I knew nothing about it, but at the time, I was interested in doing things that were not normal and being a female engineer was unusual, so I wanted to go for it. I enjoyed math and science, so I figured it was a good fit and I learn more about it as I studied in college.

You are in your first engineering class this term. What is the ratio of M-F?

Mari	Chris
It’s close to ½ and ½ – maybe a few more men. My computer science math class is more male-heavy. 1:4. It’s required, and I think a lot of people who take the Intro Engineering class I am in now don’t end up majoring. I have not noticed discrimination in my classes.	My engineering classes were mostly men – maybe a 1:5 ratio at best, and as the classes advanced, there were fewer women.

Is there a difference between hands-on programming experience between men and women in your classes?

Mari	Chris
I have noticed that among my peers in school, the men have a lot more experience programming. I’ve met only one or two women with a lot of experience.	In my day, computers and programming were still pretty new, so even some men didn’t have experience, but there were many men who did, and I knew of no women who had experience. I didn’t have experience programming.
I didn’t either before I entered MIT.

Do you think you will stay as an engineering major?

Mari

Chris

Course VI is one of the harder majors. If it is too difficult and I can’t succeed, I may change majors and later fields. I feel middle-of-the- road now, but the people below me will probably drop out, and then I might be below average.

I don’t see myself as a programmer or a hacker. I don’t see programming as the sole component of my career. It’s kind of intimidating – especially at MIT.

Course VI is hard, and for some people, it comes so easily. I enjoy it, but sometimes I’m not sure if I’m cut out for it.

I loved all my classes in the first few years, but struggled in my third year. I did not get good advising and took classes in an order where I wasn’t ready for the content yet. When I started taking programming classes, I loved it and gravitated towards that. I did feel isolated but I wasn’t alone. There were other women.

You seem to have a very active SWE (Society of Women Engineers) chapter at MIT. I wish we had that – ours was not that active.

I ended up staying in the field and went to a small company before you were born. When I got pregnant, they were not going to pay me for maternity leave. At the last minute (a few weeks before delivery), they decided to pay me ½ salary for 8 weeks. A few months later, a male manager got sick and was out for several months. They gave him full pay.

That was probably the toughest company to work for. Many men got promoted around me. I finally left, and other companies had much better atmospheres for women employees. Xerox is the best place I’ve worked so far. There is an atmosphere of equally promoting women, minorities, and all employees based on merit.

What about staying in the field after graduation?

Mari

Chris

I think I would like to do consulting, and I’m even considering law. I would like to use my technology. I have familiarity with code and the technical aspects of the industry, but I don’t see myself as a designer.

I, of course, have stayed in the field, and I really love the work that I do. I am a Software Architect, and while I do some programming, I also analyze features with the business team and decide how a feature will fit into our products. It’s rewarding and challenging work, and I’m very glad I stuck with this career. The experience I have now has paid off.

It was the most challenging when my three kids were born. I was very torn about putting them in daycare and went back to work after 8 weeks with each child. I was breastfeeding at the time, too. It was very challenging, and I was also not in a supportive work environment. But Dad really wanted me stay in the field and encouraged me. He told me that all my education should be applied, and I agreed.

Have you noticed any gender discrimination?

Mari	Chris
I don’t feel there are any issues related to gender.	I certainly feel there are issues in the field related to gender. I think there should be way more women in the field. What about the programming contests at MIT? Aren’t those mostly male?
Yes, you are right. And I just noticed that one of them was with “Pokerbots” – robots that play poker. I don’t play poker.	I have an idea. Let’s form an all-female programming team next year during the programming contests during IAP (Independent Activities Period in January at MIT). I think alumnae can enter.
That sounds great – let’s do it!

Mari and Chris at MIT in fall 2010
Hiroshi and Chris (before marriage) at MIT in 1985