ATTITUDES TO ENGINEERING FEATURE


HARD HATS AND OVERALLS - THE NEED TO CHANGE OUR PERCEPTION


While there is certainly a gender imbalance in UK engineering, Cleveland Bridge believes the real problem is that the profession is equally unappealing to both men and women


T


here’s no denying that there is a gender imbalance when it comes to


engineering. In the UK, only 12 per cent of engineers are female. A quick Google search on the matter will bring up countless articles busting myths about STEM subjects being a man’s domain (even though female students often outperform their male classmates in these subjects). More often than not, such reports point at a seemingly endless number of barriers presented to women who would otherwise become engineers — a lack of role models, sexism in the workplace, a concern over prospects. Of course, these are all valid obstacles.


But there’s a greater issue impacting British engineering in general, and a lack of female engineers is a symptom of a greater problem within the sector. What if it’s not simply a case of


engineering shutting its doors on a pool of potential talent? What if people — men and women alike — just aren’t knocking at the door of British engineering? No question of ability, but of desirability When it comes to addressing the lack of


female engineers, we can’t blame education. It’s been quite some time since strong gender biases were in play at schools and colleges. There is still work to be done, but female students are under no illusions, engineering is, as far as they are concerned, as valid an option for them as it is for their male classmates. Research by EngineeringUK highlighted


this perception from 2015 to 2019. As the graphs above show, girls do not


believe engineering is “just for boys”. In fact, the perception is only increasing, with 94% of girls at school leaving age (16–19) in 2019 saying they agreed that engineering is suitable for boys and girls. 81% of boys at school leaving age in 2019 agreed too. It’s not that girls don’t think they can be


engineers, then. A perception of ability is not the problem. A perception of engineering as a desirable career, however, is certainly in play. And it’s getting worse. The perception of engineering as a


desirable career path is dropping among 11-14 year old girls and 16-19 year old girls in particular. This could be cited as proof that more needs to be done to break down barriers and build up role models for potential female engineers in order to make the career path look more attainable and aspirational for women. However, it’s important to note that


boys are not much more enthralled by the idea of becoming engineers either, with a slight decrease also present in the last four years. While there is certainly a case to be


made for the damaging effects of gender stereotypes, it seems engineering in the UK is simply not showcasing itself as a desirable career path to either genders. The impact of this is simply showing more in a lack of female engineers due to the


Sources: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/jun/16/womens-engineering-society-100-years-inventors-suffragettes https://www.pbctoday.co.uk/news/hr-skills-news/female-engineers-besa-says/77788/ https://www.theguardian.com/careers/2020/jul/07/mentoring-job-ads-flexible-working-making-civil-engineering-more-appealing-to-women https://www.engineeringuk.com/research/engineering-insights-beta/knowledge-perceptions-and-understanding-of-engineering/ https://www.atkinsglobal.com/en-gb/angles/all-angles/more-women-in-engineering https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-42655179 https://www.open.edu/openlearn/science-maths-technology/engineering-technology/seven-myths-being-female-engineer https://www.engineeringuk.com/media/1691/gender-disparity-in-engineering.pdf


Research by EngineeringUK highlighted the perception of engineering by females in the UK from 2015 to 2019


residual remnants of gendered stereotypes amplifying the overall problem. But why is engineering not appealing to men or women? Engineering is appealing — the UK is


selling it short, as it’s not a global problem. The UK ranks as the lowest in Europe when it comes to female representation in its engineering workforce. According to civil engineer Jessica Green,


the issue is certainly on a national scale. In the UK, engineering isn’t presented with any of the glamour or prestige that occupations, such as architecture, is afforded. In fact, Green admits she herself “turned [her] nose up at engineering”, believing that to go down that route would mean spending her career “dressed in overalls working in tunnels.” That, she points out, is the concept of


engineering that the UK pushes out. Despite the years of academic study and on-the-job training that many engineering roles require, for some reason, engineering is denied its rightful sense of achievement and prestige. Meanwhile, as Green points out, being


able to call yourself an engineer in Spain is certainly held in high regard. One cannot call themselves an engineer at all without going through a six-year university process, after which the title of “engineer” is awarded. It is held in the same regard as becoming a doctor. It’s little wonder then that Spain enjoys a relatively even number of male and female engineers. Meanwhile, in the UK, the word


“engineer” is used far more loosely. Not only that, but there’s a sense of ambiguity in the UK regarding what an engineer is. A lack of representation compared to other prestigious roles, means that many people simply think of overalls and hard hats, despite the fact that plenty of engineers work in offices or in a digital field. It is clear that engineering as a whole


needs to rebrand itself in the UK, and not just for women. Diane Boon, Director of Commercial Operations at structural steelwork company Cleveland Bridge, said: “To be a woman in engineering – as with everything in life – you need to work hard. But so do the men. Being a woman has neither helped nor hindered my career in this incredible field. What engineering needs to do smarter is raise its profile, make itself more appealing to future generations, it needs to reposition itself.” By building up the prestige of


engineering and holding it in the same high regard as our European neighbours, we would no doubt begin to see a stronger and swifter change in terms of gender representation within engineering.


Cleveland Bridge clevelandbridge.com


/ PROCESS&CONTROL PROCESS & CONTROL | OCTOBER 2020 33


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