Lhe main thing I’ve learnt is that engineering has nothing to do with your gender,” says Zuleyma. “Engineering has to do with an inner feeling of innovation and technology, of the desire to create the future. If you feel like this is the career for you — then do it. Women should always listen to their inner voice.”
Bucking the trend
Today, women make up around half of Chile’s workforce. But when it comes to male-dominated roles like engineering, that balance is skewed. Alongside Mexico and Japan, Chile has the smallest number of female researchers working in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) sector.
However, there is hope. In the past five years, the number of women accepted into the engineering and science program at the University of Chile has grown from 19% to more than 32%. Although women still make up less than a quarter of students enrolled in STEM degree courses, it’s still progress. “I’ve noticed that in the past 10 years especially, more and more women have been getting into my type of career.”
When Zuleyma started out, the prejudice she experienced as the only woman in her team was clear. “Around 25 years ago, it wasn’t common for women to work in my field,” she recalls. “I needed to demonstrate my ability more than my male counterparts. But once I was able to do that, I was well received.”
She says the tidal change is the result of a collective effort between the private sector, government, and education.
The importance of family
There have been other hurdles that Zuleyma has overcome. She says the biggest struggle has been balancing her personal life with her work life. “it’s not been easy,” she says.
Growing up in Venezuela, family has always been an important and supportive part of Zuleyma’s life, that has been pivotal to her career.
One of eight children, as a teenager Zuleyma followed her brother’s footsteps and studied electrical engineering before leaving her small home-town to take a position at Siemens. Starting as a Field Engineer, she worked her way up to project manager and began taking on more and more sales responsibility until she was the lead for her division in Venezuela. Four years ago, she moved to Santiago in Chile as a Service Delivery Manager and more recently took on the responsibility of Sales Manager.
Advice for the next generation
At times family and work have bled into one another — but not always in a bad way. In 2000 she married her husband who at the time was also working for Siemens, in a commercial department within the power division. “My daughter is a Siemens girl,” Zuleyma jokes. She can already see her 16-year-old is interested in her work.
So, what advice does she have for her daughter and other young women who want to carve out their own career in engineering? “You have to love mathematics,” she says. “Because you need to study a lot of mathematical models. It’s also really important to be organized. You need to know how to manage your time and how to handle problems. Sometimes you’ll be expected to come up with solutions to very complicated things but you just have to keep trying until you figure it out.”
As head of sales, Zuleyma also manages a lot people so being able to work in a team is vital. “You need to understand people,” she adds. “You need to understand your team, you need to understand your customers, and you need to understand the situation.”
But those skills come with time and are developed with experience. First and foremost, Zuleyma preaches an enthusiasm for technology and a desire to innovate and create. “I really enjoy my job,” she laughs. “That’s why I’ve stayed for such a long time.”
Zuleyma Lopez lives in Santiago, Chile, with her husband and daughter. Find out more about working at Siemens.
Zuleyma is one of the many talented people working with us to make real what matters.
Photography: Franz Grünewald
