03 February 2020
“What is a girl like you, doing in a plant like this”.
Not so long ago, I worked in Southeast Asia (ASEAN) as an engineer in petroleum refining and power industry. My role involved communicating with several plant managers to ensure that the wastewater is treated well enough before being exposed to the environment. I had no difficulty in performing well during the interviews for the role or even during the formal training for it. However, what I did not anticipate is that when I would start working our senior male clients would be surprised that a female field engineer consults them in a hard hat and blue jumpsuit.