Abstract

The purpose of this research was to identify the factors which influence the female engineering students’ career choice in the beginning of the twenty-first century. A further investigation was done to identify the degree to which these factors influence female students in choosing engineering as a career. A case study was carried out with the female engineering students at Mutare Polytechnic which is currently undergoing a process of acquiring university status. Engineering lecturers at the same college were also involved in the study. Despite all the negative influences experienced by the female engineering students in their career choice, sheer interest in engineering had caused them to choose the career as indicated by the 98% approval from the female engineering students. It was also possible to make recommendations with the view to improve the advancement of females in engineering careers.

Key words: Factors influencing, female engineering students, career choice, engineering, interest.