In 2023, women only made up 28% of the STEM workforce, according to MIT Professional Education. Whilst there is widespread acknowledgement of the issue, quite evidently there is still a gender gap. These figures are even lower within engineering professions, “with women making up only 16.5% of engineers,” as Dr Shirley Knowles, Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer at Progress, highlights.

“Unfortunately social cliches and stigmas surrounding women’s perceived logical capabilities still reside in most regions of the world,” Sofiia Dron, Delivery Director at Intellias, affirms. “Society often creates false pressure, propagating that men are inherently better at reasoning, problem-solving and algorithm creation.”

With stereotypes still creating limits and the statistics showing an alarmingly low ceiling for women in STEM, more needs to be done to support the female engineers of today, and the future. Speaking to Devmio, nine leading female engineers illustrate the importance of ensuring encouragement from early education, all the way up until leadership positions.

Giving girls a helping hand to ensure success from education’s start to finish

The roots of the issue start before women enter the workforce so more focus and better encouragement is needed for girls when they are in education. Caroline Seymour, VP of Product Marketing, Zerto, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, notes: “As they’re growing up, girls can be subjected to biases (both conscious and unconscious) early on in their schooling and are often actively discouraged from pursuing science, technology, engineering, and maths. Quite often teachers and parents underestimate girls’ maths skills starting as early as preschool. We need to do far more at an earlier stage.”

Agreeing, Agata Nowakowska, AVP EMEA, Skillsoft, adds: “Rebalancing the gender divide begins long before women enter the workforce. How engineering and other STEM subjects are taught in schools is a major contributing factor in cultivating an interest in the subject for girls and young women. The focus should be on finding new ways to keep girls engaged in STEM subjects throughout their academic career - for example, by developing websites, learning to code, or using robotic toys - providing adequate opportunities for them to hone their skills as well as their passion.“

This support from teachers, parents and peers will need to continue from early education all the way up until university to ensure that once degrees are earnt, they transfer into well-deserved jobs.

"Nearly 40% of women with engineering degrees either leave or never enter the profession — the majority citing the gender-stereotypical ways they are treated,” Hugh Scantelbury, CEO and Founder of Aqilla, stresses; “that’s why supporting women engineers throughout their careers is so important. Helping them succeed means they’ll eventually become role models for the next generation. By contrast, if young girls only see men in senior engineering positions, it can feel like there’s no clear career path for them to follow.”

When women are on the career ladder, organisations must do more to hold it steady

Further down the road, when women are working within engineering, companies can also take action to achieve gender equity and increased retention.

Zerto’s, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, Seymour elucidates, “they can start by using job descriptions which are gender neutral, gathering diverse candidates for interviews, and making sure there are women present on the interviewing team.”

Additionally, on top of improving efforts to make recruitment and hiring processes fairer, organisations must also improve their training and development policies. Razan Doleh, Senior Software Development Engineer in Test Lead at Cubic Transportation Systems, explains: “Organisations must actively provide women with professional development opportunities and enable them to expand their skill sets with emerging technologies. This not only benefits women personally but enhances the organisation's overall productivity, creating invaluable assets for any company.”

Speaking about Six Degrees’ initiatives, its Chief People Officer, Lindsay Gallard explains: “Today, we applaud the achievements of those women within Six Degrees, and worldwide. We will continue to be an environment that empowers and encourages aspiring women to thrive in their careers. We do this at every stage of the journey; helping school-age children to understand what their career opportunities could be; enabling women to manage their priorities and wellbeing inside and outside of work; or propelling them along the many career paths in this sector.”

Champions of their own success

Whilst initiatives can help, it is important to remember that none of it will work unless women believe in themselves and become their own champions. Intellias’ Dron explains: “Throughout my career, I have faced significant challenges, the most pressing hurdle being my own self-limiting beliefs. Once I realised that I could achieve anything with dedication and focus, doors began to open.”

Agreeing, Cubic Transportation System’s Doleh adds that this self-belief needs to also include having open and candid conversations with your superiors; “don't be afraid to voice your aspirations, whether seeking out training opportunities, exposure to new projects, or mentorship. By becoming your most prominent advocate, you inspire others to follow suit, leading the way for more women in leadership positions.”

Overall, regardless of gender, everyone should work to create a space where individuals have their voices heard. “My advice to anyone wanting to work in the STEM industry is that if you are willing to learn, your skills and viewpoint will bring a refreshing look to the industry, your company and your team,” finishes Lani Leuthvilay, Head of Product Marketing, PlainID.

Concluding, Mini Biswas, Specialist Team Unit - Operations Lead at Node4, states: “Despite its best intentions, Women in Engineering Day and similar initiatives will not change the situation overnight. However, what it does do is raise awareness and give a voice to those who may be fighting to be heard. We need to be championing them and supporting those who are different, not just for Women in Engineering Day, but every day.”