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Is it a career advantage to be a Protestant?

Arran Cameron
I was discussing things online with an American engineer who mentioned that engineers in the US tend not to be particularly religious but it's an advantage to be a Protestant if you want to rise to a senior position or go into management. A general trend exists that in lower to middle ranking positions in industry religion is immaterial but above middle positions there is a correlation between seniority and Protestant commitment. That doesn't mean that chief engineers or corporate bosses are holier than thou or even attend church regularly, or more regularly than junior engineers, but they possess a strong knowledge of the Bible and the tenets of Protestantism. They are also admirers of John Calvin and his ideals.


Does a similar phenomenon exist in Britain?
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    Arran Cameron:


    Does a similar phenomenon exist in Britain? 




    Hi Arran,


    In England and Wales I would imagine it would be impossible to find out, you could only find this if someone happened to have an academic research project where people were happy to freely give the information. But generally it's "don't ask, don't tell", which personally I'm jolly glad about! I don't know what the religous beliefs of many of my friends are, and certainly don't know about most of my colleagues.


    Meanwhile in Scotland and Northern Ireland it would be a hugely complex issue with all sorts of other factors in play (I'm just referring to Protestantism and Catholicism here, not other beliefs or absence of beliefs). Even today I would suspect that if you ask this question of a Catholic in Derry you might well get a very clear response - and if you do I very very seriously wouldn't recommend then using the words "Protestant work ethic". I mention this as that was my immediate thought when I read the thread title - it's an exceptionally sensitive subject.


    It's not to say it's not an interesting point, in general I'm sure this is fertile ground for academic research, but it is hugely complex with lots of cultural implications. Which of course means that for individuals you end up not being able to draw any useful conclusions.


    The US is a weird place in having theoretically an absolute separation between church and state, but in practice an incredibly powerful and influential (Protestant) religious community. I suspect in England and Wales (I'm not sure about Scotland) the issue is more likely to be a negative one - that you may find it harder to rise if you are clearly a member of certain non-Christian religions. Of that there is very much written elsewhere and I'm not going to attempt to comment further.


    In terms of the IET, hopefully it is pushing for someone's religion or absence of religion to be considered irrelevant when considering their abilities as an engineer (or, in this case, in engineering management). I am delighted to say I have never come across religion as being a career advantage or disadvantage in any company I have worked in.


    Cheers,


    Andy


     

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  • 0

    Arran Cameron:


    Does a similar phenomenon exist in Britain? 




    Hi Arran,


    In England and Wales I would imagine it would be impossible to find out, you could only find this if someone happened to have an academic research project where people were happy to freely give the information. But generally it's "don't ask, don't tell", which personally I'm jolly glad about! I don't know what the religous beliefs of many of my friends are, and certainly don't know about most of my colleagues.


    Meanwhile in Scotland and Northern Ireland it would be a hugely complex issue with all sorts of other factors in play (I'm just referring to Protestantism and Catholicism here, not other beliefs or absence of beliefs). Even today I would suspect that if you ask this question of a Catholic in Derry you might well get a very clear response - and if you do I very very seriously wouldn't recommend then using the words "Protestant work ethic". I mention this as that was my immediate thought when I read the thread title - it's an exceptionally sensitive subject.


    It's not to say it's not an interesting point, in general I'm sure this is fertile ground for academic research, but it is hugely complex with lots of cultural implications. Which of course means that for individuals you end up not being able to draw any useful conclusions.


    The US is a weird place in having theoretically an absolute separation between church and state, but in practice an incredibly powerful and influential (Protestant) religious community. I suspect in England and Wales (I'm not sure about Scotland) the issue is more likely to be a negative one - that you may find it harder to rise if you are clearly a member of certain non-Christian religions. Of that there is very much written elsewhere and I'm not going to attempt to comment further.


    In terms of the IET, hopefully it is pushing for someone's religion or absence of religion to be considered irrelevant when considering their abilities as an engineer (or, in this case, in engineering management). I am delighted to say I have never come across religion as being a career advantage or disadvantage in any company I have worked in.


    Cheers,


    Andy


     

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