Career Strategies of Female Engineers Employed in Rocket and Space Industry: Goals and Implementation Opportunities

Abstract

The article examines how women from Soviet and post-Soviet generations employed in rocket and space industry perceive their career. The study aims to describe female engineer career strategies and their aspects such as career goals, steps to achieve them and assessment of achievements. The study is based on 33 semi-structured in-depth interviews with female engineers representing the Soviet generation and those who started their career after the collapse of the USSR. The analysis shows that older generation women tend to consider their careers in terms of collective goals and their personal contribution to the common cause. They perceive their career as a successful result of collective achievements. Young engineers are more likely to take purposeful action to improve their professionalism and to pursue career advancement: they perceive career through personal achievements. However both generations consider that there are a number of non-formal barriers for women employed in space industry, especially those women seeking career promotion.

Acknowledgements. The author would like to express gratitude to the scientific advisor, Olga B. Savinskaya (Cand. Sci. (Soc.), Associate Professor at the Higher School of Economics) for her valuable comments. The author also thanks all the respondents who participated in the study.