Interview of Rama Onta (02/02/2012)

1st PART: Woman’s history comprehension/understanding

• Can you present yourself in a few words and explain us what is your job/responsibilities?

I’m one of the 4 architects working in MRB & Associates. I’ve been working as an architect for almost 30 years. I design all the buildings for the company: hospitals, residential buildings… Most of the time I’m here in the office but sometimes I go on sites for supervision. I’ve been working on projects all over the world, so I had the opportunity to travel for my job .

• How did you come to engineering and sciences?

At first I wanted to have a more technical work, but I got interested in architecture during my 2 first years of studies, as there was no architecture school in Nepal at that time, I left my country to Minsk in Russia for a 5 years course. I had to study the Russian language for one year before. Nobody in my family is architect but I liked the design part in architecture.

• Did you have to face any difficulty as a woman in your studies/in your job? Or do you think being a woman facilitated it?

In the architecture school in Russia there was nearly 50% women. We were 5 students coming from Nepal and I was the only girl. Coming back to Nepal, it was not that easy to find a job but then if you work well there is no problem.

• How do you conciliate professional and personal life?

For me it’s not a big problem because my husband is an engineer architect so he can understand me. The problem is more when you travel to visit sites, I never leave more than 1 or 2 days. Now my child is 18 so I can leave him alone.

• Could you tell us professional realizations you are proud of?

I’m proud of an hospital we did in Katmandu, this is a very big project and many people are going there so I can say to my friend that this is my project.


 



2nd PART:  General debate on woman engineer: differences and new things a woman can bring in a male team

• Do you think men and women work differently? Could you give us concrete examples (personal works, project works)?

In the way of working I think it’s the same, it depends on the person. Here men and women are not doing exactly the same job because it’s easier for men to go on sites, so usually in civil engineering in Nepal men are more doing the site work and women the office work. I’m sometimes going on the site to solve architecture problems, more ore less one time a month. As an architect, when we design houses or residential buildings, I noticed that women can imagine it more functionally, but for other types of buildings I think that it’s the same. It is because in Nepal women are still spending a lot of time at home.

• Do you think that gender diversity in a team is helpful for working atmosphere and/or is linked to team performance?

Women are softer than the men so it can modify the ambiance to have women in a men team. But concerning the productivity, I think it depends on persons, a man or a woman can be lazy or really concentrated and that’s the important thing.






3rd PART:  Vidéo

• Short representation

I’m one of the 4 architects working in MRB & Associates. I’ve been working as an architect for almost 30 years. I design all the buildings for the company: hospitals, residential buildings…

• Which advice would you give to any young woman who hesitates to start engineering studies?

Construction is a men and women field, we don’t have to stay behind the men. Go and work good! Go in competition with the men!

• What has been your biggest difficulty as a women engineer?

I don’t think I had to face any difficulties as a women engineer.

• What has been your best satisfaction as a women engineer?

I’m proud of my studies, and I’m proud of being the 1st architect of my family!

• What is your next challenge?

As I’m experienced in my job, I don’t really have a next challenge.

Interview of Srijana Tuladhar (02/02/2012)

1st PART: Woman’s history comprehension/understanding

• Can you present yourself in a few words and explain us what is your job/responsibilities?

I’m working in the MRB & Associates company. We are designing the structure of  apartments, hospitals, commercial complexes… Our company has projects all over the country but also in Pakistan and in Bouthan. I started here as a Junior civil engineer, now I’m Senior structure engineer and I do most of the structures we are designing in this office. In this company of approximately 12 people, I’m part of the seniors because I joined this nearly 20 years old company only 2 or 3 years after its beginning. So I’m teaching structure to the new employees, at this time we have 3 or 4 youngs.

• How did you come to engineering and sciences?

Actually, as a child I wanted to be a civil engineer because it was the job of my grand father. At that time there was not that much engineers in Nepal but he was one of them, he was supervising the construction of palaces. My parents are not in this field, my father is managing a hotel. 

• Did you have to face any difficulty as a woman in your studies/in your job? Or do you think being a woman facilitated it?

I don’t think that being a woman is a problem because here in Nepal we can study as the boys do, but after we have to manage our job with our functions at home. I studied in COED, coeducation, which means that boys and girls are in the same school and I never noticed that there are so many differences between boys and girls. When I was studying in civil engineer school, the average was of only 2 or 3 girls in a 100 student’s class. 3 years before I came to school, there was only 1 girl, but I was lucky that in my year we were 5 girls, it was great because you can’t share everything with boys. I think that there was only few girls because when you choose engineer studies, lots of boys ask you why you don’t choose for example architecture, so many boys asked me that question, I was just answering that I liked it and I wanted to work practically. And I was one of the first students to get a job going out from school!

• How do you conciliate professional and personal life?

I have two children, they are 4 and 12 years old and it’s difficult to balance professional and family life, specially because you often have to come back home on time because the children are there.  I’m in a joined family so I don’t have so many problems about it, my mother in law who I’m living with helps me with that. But sometimes I have problems when my children are not well, in those times I have to come back home. My older son, he is now living in his school, 1 hour drive from Kathmandu and he visits us 1 time a month. My husband is a businessman, he has a lot of work too so he cant’s always help me with children.

• Could you tell us professional realizations you are proud of?

As a structure engineer, I do a lot of structure design and when I show the buidings I designed to my friends who left Nepal to work abroad, they are impressed that I’ve been designing myself the structure of so many buildings.

2nd PART:  General debate on woman engineer: differences and new things a woman can bring in a male team

• Do you think men and women work differently? Could you give us concrete examples (personal works, project works)?

No, we are working the same. For me, even the way of working is the same. The difference is that the girls for example in this office, they don’t meet their colleagues out of work, but men they do meet after work. We don’t want to be that close to our colleagues. 

• Do you think that gender diversity in a team is helpful for working atmosphere and/or is linked to team performance?

It’s the same, we can work equally, for me there is no difference. There is maybe few differences on the sites: as the menpower are not educated, they mostly don’t listen to the women as they do for men. Now this is changing because there is more and more women engineers. But when I began my job, they were surprised to see me on sites, now they got used to it and most of them know me. Sometimes I have to travel to visit sites and this is complicated for my family, my husband can manage for some days but not for more, so this is good if there is a man in my team, so he can visit the site himself.

   

3rd PART:  Vidéo

• Short representation

My name is Srijana Tuladhar and I work for MRB and Associates. I’ve been working here for 15 years and I’m designing structures for residential building, hospitals, bridges…

• Which advice would you give to any young woman who hesitates to start engineering studies?

I don’t think you have to hesitate, this job will change your dreams into realities, that’s why I think that this job is a nice one!

• What has been your biggest difficulty as a women engineer?

I don’t think I had to face any difficulties as a women engineer.

• What has been your best satisfaction as a women engineer?

When I see my work turning into reality and the buildings done, I’m proud, and this is my biggest satisfaction.

• What is your next challenge?

My next challenge is to do well all the work which comes on my way.

Interview of Sarita Shrestha (03/02/2012)

 

1st PART: Woman’s history comprehension/understanding

• Can you present yourself in a few words and explain us what is your job/responsibilities?

I’m currently supervising the construction of the new technical buildings which will be used by the company Nepal Telecom. I’m employed since 1994 by Nepal Telecom in its construction department, as the second manager. Now I supervise 11 sites all over Nepal, it represents 12 engineers and 20 assistant engineers.
 

• How did you come to engineering and sciences?

I was really interested by civil engineering, since the beginning. I like to go to sites and I wanted to travel a lot.
 

• Did you have to face any difficulty as a woman in your studies/in your job? Or do you think being a woman facilitated it?

I didn’t have to face any difficulty. My parents, my professors and even the students were very supportive. I had to leave my home at 11 to study in the city. 

In my year in civil engineering we were 47 boys and 3 girls. I was the second in the class. I don’t know why girls don’t choose engineering, maybe because of traditions, maybe because they were scared of civil engineering. In others engineering fields, you can find more girls. For example more girls choose Telecom, Biology, Environment, IT, but not for example electricity or mechanic…

I didn’t have to face any problem to find a job. When I’ve been hired, I was an engineer for one site first, then 2, then more. At the beginning I was more on the site and I had to do office work too. Now I go a bit less on site but I have a lot more responsibilities.
 

• How do you conciliate professional and personal life?

I don’t have any problems to conciliate that. I have on boy, he is 17. Sometimes as I’m a manager I have to stay late in the office, stay until 6 or 7 in the office. And I have to go on site, min 3 or 4 days. My son studies Hotel management. He is in the special school and stay there the nights, and we see each other monthly. My husband is electronic engineer. 

• Could you tell us professional realizations you are proud of?

When you go to the site, the people really respect you, I think because you are a girl. In my team there are only boys, just one girl architect. I’m really proud of going on the sites to manage my teams.


 

2nd PART:  General debate on woman engineer: differences and new things a woman can bring in a male team

• Do you think men and women work differently? Could you give us concrete examples (personal works, project works)?

Women are more sincere and effective in their work.  More efficient. Saying more “sincere” means that for example if you hire a girl, she will give her full time to the site. Boys may not be sincere as the girls, on the site they may involve 70 or 80 % of their time to the site, then go somewhere else. 

In terms of “efficiency”, I think women are faster than men in their work. Women are more dedicated to their work. And girls are better managers than boys; they are able to do several things at the same time. I think maybe it’s because women have to take care of the house too, so they have to organize themselves to be able to manage everything.

Talking about communication, I wouldn’t say there is difference between men and women.
 

• Do you think that gender diversity in a team is helpful for working atmosphere and/or is linked to team performance?

Yes, I think that gender diversity makes a good team. But sometimes when you go in other sites, it’s not really good, because for example men can go in any hotel whereas I have to choose a safe one.

For sure when in the team you have men and women, there is a better productivity. I wouldn’t say it’s because of different ideas between them so better brainstorming, it’s more thanks to a good ambiance so better work done. 



3rd PART:  Vidéo

• Short representation

I’m Sarita Shrestha, I’m from a remote village of Nepal, now I’m a building site manager in Nepal telecom, it’s a government owned company with almost 6000 employees.

• Which advice would you give to any young woman who hesitates to start engineering studies?

I want to tell them that it’s not really difficult to study civil engineering as a subject itself, and it’s also not difficult to do civil engineering job, I think you’ll enjoy going to the site and supervision work also, it will be really interesting.

• What has been your biggest difficulty as a women engineer?

I haven’t faced any difficulties in my 20 years of practice!

• What has been your best satisfaction as a women engineer?

I’m satisfied as a woman engineer, because people respect you as a civil engineer now in our society. It is a challenge to do civil engineering job!

• What is your next challenge?

My next challenge is coming soon, it’s a coming project: a high rise building. I have to manage the project as a whole from the planning step to the construction step.

Interview of Bindu Khanal (03/02/2012)

·         1st PART: Woman’s history comprehension/understanding

o   Can you present yourself in a few words and explain us what is your job/responsibilities?

I’ve been working as a civil engineering since last 3 years. The first year I’ve been hired to work on a construction site, then I’ve been working in a tour construction company, and now since last 2 years I’ve been involved in educational institution, hired by the Nepal engineering college of Kathmandu. I am an assistant professor in the field of geotechnical engineering.

o   How did you come to engineering and sciences?

Obviously every child has its one dream. Actually, since my childhood, I though I would be either an engineer or a lecturer. But see, today I’m both. Actually my uncle was an engineer and I was inspired by him. My mother was a school teacher and my father still works in government bank. My younger brother is aeronautical engineer; he has completed his studies from Nanjing University in China, he is currently working for a job. My younger sister is working now in a bank office.

o   Did you have to face any difficulty as a woman in your studies/in your job? Or do you think being a woman facilitated it?

I didn’t have to face any difficulty. It was really interested to study with boys, and they were really helpful. We were 43 or 44, and among them 4-8 girls. Actually, today in Nepal, maybe no more in city but in remote places, even if a girl is good as school the parents don’t see the interest to encourage her to do high studies. At this age, girls would be either married or something like that. They don’t get opportunities. This is the problem in Nepal. Nowadays, I can see changes as I’m a professor. For example, in a class of 50 students, 33 % of seats are reserved for girls. So they get more opportunities.

o   How do you conciliate professional and personal life?

Not yet. I don’t have children, I’m recently married, my husband is in the same fields so he knows how it works. I don’t want to have children now, after some time yes. But I want to work for my carrier first, to do my PHD, or work in or outside Nepal.

o   Could you tell us professional realizations you are proud of?

I own a company of 4 people, 2 are me and my husband. We created the company in 2009, in order to answer to the need of a telecom firm from Israel. They needed a lot of engineers for their project. Last year we completed a telecom tower in the world highest place (attitude). We had to build everything. I’m really proud of this.

2nd PART:  General debate on woman engineer: differences and new things a woman can bring in a male team

     o  Do you think men and women work differently? Could you give us concrete examples (personal works, project works)?

I think each person has its own style to work. Men and women have completely different style to carry on projects. An architect told me one day that he thinks that women understand faster. In communication I think women and men communicate the same way. But especially on a site you can’t be all the time polite. I think when it comes to this, a man would handle it better than a women.

o   Do you think that gender diversity in a team is helpful for working atmosphere and/or is linked to team performance?

Yes. As I’m a lecturer, I have an example. If you give a project to a male group or a male/female group, they will behave differently. In a male group, men would use rough words, they would concentrate less. The other team would be more concentrated. They will be more efficient and more productive. There is a kind of competition between men and women in the team, and they have better attitude. That’s why the team is better.

3rd PART:  Vidéo

o   Short representation

Hello, I’m Bindu Khanal, currently working as assistant professor at Nepal engineering college, having worked as civil engineer since last year. At the beginning of my professional life, I have already worked on a building construction site and a telecom tower construction site. From last 2 years I’ve been involved in Nepal Civil Engineering College.

o   Which advice would you give to any young woman who hesitates to start engineering studies?

I just want to say that working on a construction site it’s completely different from working in an office. You’ll get to know about the real things, the real challenges you’ll face, because of all this things you get to know news things everyday. And when you overcome these challenges you get all kinds of satisfaction which is perfect.

o   What has been your biggest difficulty as a women engineer?

I haven’t found any difficulty being a woman engineer.

o   What has been your best satisfaction as a women engineer?

Actually people appreciate us so much, I mean, on building sites, they have just seen men working there, when they see women they appreciate, they always wish they had a daughter like us, so it makes us feel really really proud !

o   What is your next challenge?

As an academician and also a married girl, my biggest challenge would be to carry on my personal, my professional life, my educational life in the same time. I’m preparing to my PHD course so it’s gonna be a big challenge for me !