The Faculty of Aerospace Engineering will introduce a preferential policy for female students in the next academic year. Thirty percent of the places will be reserved for women.
(Photo: Justyna Botor)
The percentage of female students in Aerospace Engineering’s bachelor degree programme has stagnated in recent years, explains Joris Melkert, Director of Education. “We remain at around 20% and consider this too low.”
After much deliberation, the Faculty took the decision to introduce a preferential policy. Melkert explains that the policy and its execution has been discussed several times with students, staff members and lawyers.
The policy entails the following aspects.
- To date, more than 2,900 prospective students have applied for 440 places for next academic year. About 700 of them are women.
- After the selection procedure, about 1,000 students who are deemed suitable will remain.
- Assigning the 440 available places will be done through a ranking.
- In the procedure, 30% of places are reserved for women: if they meet the requirements and are deemed equally suitable, they will be given priority.
Melkert says that the Government has been trying to increase the number of women in technology for a long time, though the number of female directors in industry still remains behind the national target of 30%. “We need to change things from the bottom up if we want skilled female engineers to be at the top.”
He continues, saying that his Faculty is “fairly unique” as the interest in the bachelor’s is overwhelming and is only increasing. “This means that we are in the luxurious position of being able to introduce a preferential policy.”
Up to now, it is a trial that will only be piloted at the Faculty of AE in the 2024/2025 academic year. “I hope we will not need this policy for long, though diversity will remain a hard nut to crack,” says Melkert.
Deplorable
In an earlier interview with Delta, dean Henri Werij called the percentage of female freshmen “deplorable”. And while he says that they may not select on gender, his preference would be to introduce a numerus fixus for women and men. The preferential policy – a form of positive discrimination – meets this preference.
News editor
Marjolein van der Veldt
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