Welcome to our survey on the experiences of women engineers with how others treat them within the context of engineering!

Dear Participants,

We truly appreciate your interest in our survey!

Given the focus of our survey, we are highly interested in hearing about your lived experiences with how others treated you in the context of your training or professional career as an engineer.

Accordingly, you will be asked to answer a series of three theoretically embedded questions and one open question. These will ask you to share experiences in which you felt that others – whether one person or a group – treated you in a certain kind of way.

All questions must be answered in English. We encourage you to make your answers as authentic as possible; incorrect spelling or grammar is not a problem! You can use aids such as dictionaries or online tools as long as they do not affect the authenticity of your answers.

Participation is voluntary and can be discontinued at any time without any negative consequences. All of your answers are anonymous and non-traceable. The time required to participate depends - as is usually the case in the context of qualitative research - on how much time you want to invest and how much detail you want to provide in your responses. The survey will remain open until 31/07/2026. During this period of time, you can pause the survey and resume it later - you do not have to complete the survey in one sitting.

At the end of the survey, we are offering you the option of voluntarily entering a giveaway of 20 vouchers worth €20 for the avocadostore (https://www.avocadostore.de) - an Eco Fashion and Green Lifestyle store that ships internationally. However, vouchers are only offered to participants who meet the inclusion criteria, finish the survey, and voluntarily choose to enter the giveaway. Please note that entering the giveaway is subject to separate data protection regulations. Your data will be stored separately from your survey responses, which will remain completely anonymous!

Furthermore, please feel free to share our survey with any women engineer who may be interested in taking part, including those who have decided to leave the engineering profession, either during their training or professional career.

Thank you very much for participating and supporting our research!

Please note that we are currently unable to disclose a) the theoretical embeddedness of our survey and the respective questions, as well as b) our personal details - though be informed that our research team consists of a university professor and a PhD candidate. Detailed information will be provided at the end of the survey, in a subsequent debriefing section. If you decide to discontinue but would still like a debriefing, please contact us via treatmentexperienceengineeringstudy@rwth-aachen.de.

Please note that, just as we protect your anonymity, we kindly ask you to protect the anonymity of others: when answering our questions, please do not use the real names of the individuals, companies, or institutions you may be referring to. However, if such information is provided, it will be anonymised in accordance with ethical data protection guidelines.

Please note that health-related or legally relevant information that is shared will not be followed up on in a medical or legal sense.

Please note that the present study has been reviewed according to German ethical standards. This means that the ethical standards applied by the ethics committee when approving this study may differ from the standards in other countries. As such, participants from other countries with different ethical standards are responsible for assessing their own participation – including any possible violation of the ethical or legal standards of their home country – before agreeing to take part in the present study.

Data Protection

Info: Please note that:

1) detailed information concerning the person(s) responsible for the survey and the data protection will only be provided at the end as part of the debriefing statement;

2) you can save the survey information, the contact details, and data protection statements provided here and at the end by printing or taking screenshots;

3) if you decide to discontinue but would still like a debriefing containing further information on the study’s objectives or the person(s) responsible for the survey and data protection, you can contact us via: treatmentexperienceengineeringstudy@rwth-aachen.de

German Version: Allgemeine Informationen zum Datenschutz (only this version is legally binding; English version below):

In dieser Befragung werden keinerlei personenbezogenen Daten erhoben. Ihre Angaben erfolgen anonym und ohne dass hieraus Rückschlüsse auf Ihre Person gezogen werden können. Dies bedeutet auch, dass wir Ihre Daten nicht mehr löschen können, sobald Sie diese einmal eingegeben haben, da wir Ihre Daten nicht identifizieren können.

Ihre Daten werden ausschließlich zu Forschungszwecken genutzt. Es ist beabsichtigt, die Ergebnisse in wissenschaftlichen Fachzeitschriften zu veröffentlichen, allerdings ausschließlich in aggregierter Form und ohne möglichen Rückschluss auf Angaben einzelner Personen (nach NRW Datenschutzgesetz §17 (4)). Wie in der qualitativen Forschung üblich, werden jedoch einige der Daten im Forschungsbericht präsentiert, um die Ergebnisse zu veranschaulichen. Ihre Daten werden an der RWTH Aachen University auf einem passwortgesicherten Computer und RWTH-Server gespeichert. Nur Projektmitarbeitende haben Zugriff auf Ihre Daten. Es ist geplant, die Daten nach einer Frist von zehn Jahren zu löschen.

Bitte beachten Sie: Die Umfrage erfolgt unter Zuhilfenahme des Dienstleisters SoSci Survey, mit dem ein Auftragsdatenverarbeitungsvertrag abgeschlossen wurde. SoSci Survey zeichnet minimale Nutzungsdaten auf. Neben der IP-Adresse übermittelt der Browser bei jedem Aufruf einer Internet-Seite weitere Daten (u.a. eine Browser-Kennung, das verwendete Betriebssystem oder Spracheinstellungen). Die Server sind allerdings so konfiguriert, dass in den Zugriffs-Logfiles keine IP-Adresse gespeichert wird. So können selbst durch Kombination von Befragungszeitpunkt und Server-Logfiles keine IP-Adressen rekonstruiert werden.

Wenn Sie Fragen haben, wenden Sie sich bitte per E-Mail an uns: treatmentexperienceengineeringstudy@rwth-aachen.de

English Version: Information on Data Protection (only the German Version is legally binding):

No personal data is collected in this survey. The information you provide is anonymous, and no conclusions can be drawn about your person. This also means that we cannot delete your data once you have entered it, as we cannot identify your data.

Your data will be used exclusively for research purposes. It is intended to publish the results in scientific journals, but only in aggregated form and without possible inference to individual persons (according to NRW Data Protection Act §17 (4)). However, as is common in qualitative research, some of the data will be presented in the research report to illustrate the findings. Your data will be stored at RWTH Aachen University on a password-protected computer and RWTH-server. Only project staff will have access to your data. It is planned to delete the data after a period of ten years.

Please note: The survey is conducted with the assistance of the service provider SoSci Survey, with whom a data processing agreement has been concluded. SoSci Survey records minimal usage data. In addition to the IP address, the browser transmits further data (including a browser identifier, the operating system used, and language settings) each time a web page is accessed. However, the servers are configured in such a way that no IP addresses are stored in the access log files. This means that even by combining the time of the survey and the server log files, no IP addresses can be reconstructed.

If you have any questions, please get in touch with us by e-mail: treatmentexperienceengineeringstudy@rwth-aachen.de

Questions asked in our study may be unpleasant or even distressing. Please only share what you feel comfortable sharing. If you experience any discomfort, you may, of course, skip any question you do not wish to answer or stop the study at any time. Furthermore, if you experience severe discomfort or psychological distress, we advise you to consult your primary healthcare advisor or, in urgent cases, to:

Emergency across Europe:
Contact 116 123 for emotional support or call 112 for immediate emergency assistance (ambulance, police, fire)

Albania:
Contact 116 111 and get help from ALO 116 child and youth emotional support services: https://www.alo116.al
Emergency Service 129
Find helplines: https://findahelpline.com/countries/al

Andorra:
Contact 112 for mental health crisis support through emergency services
Contact 177 (Linia Verda) in case of suicidal intention https://www.govern.ad/ca/tematiques/salut/assistencia-sanitaria/linea-verda
Confidential telephone helpline 181 https://findahelpline.com/organizations/telefon-d-atencio-181

Austria:
Contact 142 and get help from TelefonSeelsorge via Telephone or Online Counseling: https://www.telefonseelsorge.at

Belgium:
Contact 106 and get help from Tele-Onthaal via Telephone or Chat: https://www.tele-onthaal.be

Bosnia and Herzegovina:
Contact 080 05 03 05 and get help from Plavi Telefon: https://www.plavitelefon.ba

Bulgaria:
Contact +359 2 983 5205 (Reception) 0800 1 8676 (Helpline for survivors of violence) and get help from the Animus Crisis Center: https://animusassociation.org
BRC hotline for psychosocial support 0800 114 66 https://en.redcross.bg/news/view?nwid=24244

Croatia:
Contact 0385 (1) 4833 888 and get help from Plavi Telefon: https://www.plavi-telefon.hr
Croatian Institute of Public Health +385 1 48 63 222 https://www.hzjz.hr/en/contact-us/

Cyprus:
Contact 8000 7773 and get help from Samaritans Cyprus: https://www.cyprussamaritans.org

Czech Republic:
Contact +420 608 902 410 and get help from Linka Důvěry emotional support services: https://www.modralinka.cz

Denmark:
Contact https://bornetelefonen.dk
Contact 39 25 25 25 https://psykiatrifonden.dk
Contact 70 201 201 and get help from Livslinien via Telephone or Chat (suicide prevention): https://www.livslinien.dk

Estonia:
Contact 655 8088 and get help from the Estonian Emotional Support Centre: https://www.eluliin.ee

Finland:
Contact 09 2525 0116 and get help from the MIELI Crisis Helpline: https://mieli.fi

France:
Contact 3114 and get help from the national mental-health crisis hotline: https://3114.fr

Germany:
Contact 0800 1110111, 0800 1110222, or 116 123, and get help from TelefonSeelsorge via Telephone, Chat, E-Mail, Compass, or On-Site: https://www.telefonseelsorge.de

Greece:
Contact 10306 and get help from the National Mental Health Support Line: https://10306.gr
Contact 2106007686 https://www.help-line.gr

Hungary:
Contact 116 123 and get help from the Hungarian Emotional Support Line: https://sos116-123.hu

Iceland:
Contact 1717 and get help from the Icelandic Red Cross Helpline: https://www.1717.is

Ireland:
Contact 116 123 and get help from Samaritans Ireland: https://www.samaritans.org/ireland
Contact 1800 247 247 Pieta https://www.pieta.ie

Italy:
Contact 02 99777 and get help from Telefono Amico Italia via Telephone or Chat: https://www.telefonoamico.it

Kosovo:
Contact 0800 12345 for national emotional support services https://www.facebook.com/Linjaejetes/

Latvia:
Contact 116 123 and get help from the Skalbes Crisis Centre: https://www.skalbes.lv

Lithuania:
Contact 116 123 and get help from Vilties linija: https://www.viltieslinija.lt

Liechtenstein:
Contact 147 and get help from Die Dargebotene Hand: https://147.ch

Luxembourg:
Contact 454545 and get help from SOS Détresse via Telephone or Chat: https://www.454545.lu

Malta:
Contact 1579 and get help from the Appogg Supportline: https://health.gov.mt/mental-health-helpline1579/

Monaco:
Contact 0800 91 90 10 for emotional crisis support services https://www.gouv.mc/action-gouvernementale

Montenegro:
Contact +382 20 241 540 Mental Health Support Line https://progress.guide/atlas/europe/montenegro/

Netherlands:
Contact 088 0767 000 https://www.deluisterlijn.nl
Contact 0800 0113 or 113 and get help from 113 via Telephone or Chat: https://www.113.nl (suicide prevention)

North Macedonia:
Contact 075 240 800 Mental Health Support Line https://progress.guide/atlas/europe/north-macedonia/

Norway:
Contact 116 123 and get help from Mental Helse via Telephone or Chat: https://mentalhelse.no

Poland:
Contact 116 for mental health https://116sos.pl

Portugal:
Contact 225 50 60 70 and get help from Voz de Apoio: https://vozdeapoio.pt

Romania:
Contact 0374 456 420 for counseling and emotional support https://mentalhealthforromania.org/en/service/hotlines/
Contact 0800 801 200 and get help from the national emotional support line: https://www.antisuicid.ro (suicide, crisis)

San Marino:
Contact +378 0549 994111 through the national health service for crisis assistance
https://www.iss.sm/on-line/home.html
https://progress.guide/atlas/europe/san-marino/

Serbia:
Contact 0800 300 303 and get help from Center Srce emotional support services: https://www.centarsrce.org
Contact 011 7777 000 Psychological Support Line

Slovakia:
Contact 0800 800 566 and get help from Linka dôvery Nezábudka: https://www.linkanezabudka.sk

Slovenia:
Contact 116 123 and get help from the Samarijan crisis line: https://www.telefon-samarijan.si

Spain:
Contact 900 525 100 and get help from Samaritans: https://www.samaritansinspain.com
Contact 717 003 717 and get help from Teléfono de la Esperanza: https://telefonodelaesperanza.org

Sweden:
Contact 90101 and get help from Mind via Telephone or Chat: https://mind.se

Switzerland:
Contact 143 and get help from Die Dargebotene Hand via Telephone or Chat: https://www.143.ch

Turkey:
Contact 182 through the national health appointment system for mental health support: https://arhavidh.saglik.gov.tr/EN-326400/mhrs-appointment.html

Ukraine:
Contact 058 mental health hotline
Contact 7333 and get help from Lifeline Ukraine: https://lifelineukraine.com (suicide prevention and mental health support, focusing on veterans)

United Kingdom:
Get help from NHS 111 online or call 111 and select the mental health option: https://111.nhs.uk/triage/check-your-mental-health-symptoms
Contact 116 123 to talk to Samaritans https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/

Vatican City:
Contact 112 for emergency mental health assistance via Italian emergency services.
https://helpline.org.in/helpline_number/vatican-city/