@colorado_mom - Interesting to hear your perspective.
What seems to worry my kids and most of their peers is that “two body problem” - the difficulty two engineers or other STEM professionals anticipate in finding jobs in the same general geographical area, added to uncertainties about long-term employment prospects outside of engineering management (and even within.)
I will also mention that mothers with engineering degrees seem over-represented within the autism community. Perhaps it is that these types of parents are more likely to be visible. Few of these seem to maintain employment if their child has any significant degree of school difficulties.