Women are still the most under-represented group in engineering and technology roles, making up just 16.9% of the workforce, latest data from EngineeringUK has argued.
To mark International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) today – 23 June – EngineeringUK partnered with the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) to carry out a survey of its members to get their views and insights on women in engineering.
It has also published a new infographic (shown below) showing the full workforce breakdown, plus the gender split on perceptions and STEM education pathways into engineering and technology.
In the survey of WES members, the majority said they were engaged in some sort of support network.
More than two-thirds (67%) said they are members of a professional body and 57% in a membership network outside of their organisation.
Encouragingly, almost half (45%) are involved in mentoring and 38% are involved in informal support from other women in engineering.
Female engineers wanted to see the engineering community doing more to inspire more young women into the sector, including promoting the wide range of careers available in engineering (78%), supporting teachers with better training and resources to talk about engineering careers (76%), and engaging children earlier about engineering, in primary or early secondary school (69%).
Other popular suggestions included showcase more visible female role models in engineering and technology (64%) and challenging gender stereotypes in education, media, and wider society (62%).
Susan Robson, interim CEO at WES, said: “Support networks and visible role models are vital not only for retaining and progressing women in engineering, but for inspiring the next generation. 70% of women also cite that mentoring and sponsorship are critical for progression, and networks can be a key enabler for these. International Women in Engineering Day reminds us just how powerful that collective impact can be.”
Dr Hilary Leevers, chief executive of EngineeringUK, added: “Female representation in the sector is growing, but at a slow rate that will not meet workforce needs. Women now take up 16.9% of roles, up from around 10% in 2010. It’s moving in the right direction, but we need to build commitment and momentum to make a bigger difference faster.”
Separately, a survey has suggested six in 10 hiring managers in the UK manufacturing and engineering sector have struggled to hire in the past year.
The research, by recruiter Michael Page, also found almost three-quarters of workers in engineering and manufacturing would turn down a promotion to protect their wellbeing, while only 12% said salary was their top priority. Three-quarters of women in engineering also said mental health was their top priority when seeking work.
Nearly half (46%) of UK women in the sector also felt there was still a gender pay gap within engineering.
Main image: Shutterstock
