Yahoo News Mentoring, job ads, flexible working: making civil engineering more appealing to women
There are around 83,000 civil engineers in the UK, according to government figures, yet only 12% of them are women. The good news is that the number of women studying civil engineering had increased from 13.5% to 20% in the 10 years between 2007 and 2017, according to a study by Ucas.
Penny Marshall, North East regional director at the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), says while considerable progress has been made over the last decade, it’s disappointing this has not yet delivered a step change in the number of women coming into the profession. “The zero-carbon imperative and the need to adapt to cope with the changing climate will provide many more opportunities over the next decade, and I hope will entice more women to join our ranks,” she says.
Faye Bowser, head of energy performance and service at Siemens says the sustainability factor makes civil engineering more appealing to women. “I have worked across the energy industry for over 16 years and I am left with one overriding impression: sustainability attracts women.”
Bowser puts this down to the fact the roots of the industry lie in centralised state owned coal, gas and nuclear power, all historically male-dominated industries, whereas the energy sector is fresh, innovative and inspiring.
Bowser, for example, was attracted by the role she could play in helping to tackle the climate crisis. “The modern energy industry is driven by wind, solar, batteries, multinational companies, constant innovation and intense competition,” she says. “The energy system is brilliantly transforming, and it creates a need to transform our workforce, set aside stereotypes and tap into the value of diversity in thought.”
Fiona Tiley, head of design, North West and Scotland, at Network Rail, says that 19% of the train operator’s engineering team are women but they do have an issue attracting women to work for them. They are currently in the process of revamping their job adverts to try and make them more appealing to women and minority groups by using more diverse imagery and interview panels, says Tiley. “As a longer-term strategy we are focusing on our staff engaging in Stem activities and mentoring to attract young people both at primary and secondary school to engineering, irrespective of gender or ethnicity,” she says.
Yvonne Murphy, chair of ICE Wales Cymru, says the UK should be looking to learn from other countries across Europe. “Around 50% of engineers are female in eastern Europe,” she says.
Murphy believes engineers have something of an image problem and a number of confusing stereotypes. “On TV kids see scientists in lab coats, policemen and women in uniform, doctors, nurses, firefighters and teachers but rarely engineers,” she says. “Plumbers, electricians and lift maintenance operators, are called engineers, which makes it a bit more challenging for those of us who are practising civil engineers to explain to kids and/or prospective engineers of the future where they might fit in.”
Civil engineering, like any other sector, should reflect the society it serves, says Murphy. “We design civilian infrastructure that must be useful and accessible to all – rich, poor, race, culture, language, religion, gender, special needs, elderly, children etc.”
Bowser believes organisations such as Siemens are slowly shaking off the “jobs for the boys” perception of the industry. “There are challenges across the board, which we refer to as the ‘leaky pipeline’,” she says. “Each stage of the pipeline has its own complexities, which is why Siemens has a range of initiatives. For example, unconscious bias training is mandatory for all managers and we offer a number of development programmes targeting women in leadership roles.”
Fiona Moore, divisional business manager at Land and Water, which has almost a 50:50 ratio of men and women on its operational board, says she believes the engineering sector is “admirably inclusive”.
“I think gender is irrelevant. When it comes down to finding a position, what’s most important – for both men and women – is finding a company which suits you,” Moore says.
Her firm doesn’t specifically target women but tries to incorporate women at all stages of their careers. “Our teams are filled with exceptional women and we are always prepared to upskill staff and move people within the business to trial different roles, no one is limited,” Moore notes.
The irony is, Tiley says, that civil engineering is actually a brilliant career for women. “Many engineering firms, including Network Rail, promote a flexible working culture and offer family-friendly policies. Throughout my career, I have always been either the only woman, or one of two or three but I have never seen it as a disadvantage and have always been treated equally to my peers.”
