Christelle is VP Sales at Agile Analog, and she shares insights, along with her colleagues.
March 4th is World Engineering Day and March 8th is International Women’s Day. I graduated as an engineer over 25 years ago and I find it so disappointing that the number of female engineers is still relatively low. Less than 30% of engineering graduates are currently female, and even more concerning than that less than 5% of leadership positions in the sector are held by women.
I chatted with a few of my colleagues at Agile Analog - Shukla Mahmood, Mairead McManus, Nicky Wilkinson and Areeba Kamran - to see what advice they would offer young female engineers and for suggestions on what could be done to increase the number of female engineers.
What advice would you give to young female engineers?
The best advice I can offer to young female engineers is: don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone. You can achieve much more than you expect. Engineering is an exciting career, as there are constant challenges and changes. Embrace every opportunity to learn new things and to progress in your career.
Shukla says: “Keep working hard. Don’t be afraid to make your voice heard, and share your ideas. Be prepared to stand up for yourself!”
Areeba asserts: “Female engineers have the ability to make a huge impact on the world. Don’t limit yourself. Don't be afraid to explore new avenues. Follow your dreams!”
Mairead offers some really practical advice for young engineers: “Grab any opportunity to speak to engineers to gain more insight into what different roles are available. Ask questions and don’t be afraid to say you don’t understand something.”
Nicky reminds us not to let gender be the defining issue: “Don't let being female define you - you are first and foremost an engineer. Believe in yourself, believe in your abilities and always show others the respect you would like shown to you. A good engineer is just that - a good engineer - you!”
How can education and industry help increase the number of female engineers?
It’s clear that the earlier in life we instil the message of equal opportunities the better. Nicky says: “I believe that encouraging women into engineering happens when they are bought up in a home, school and university environment where the focus is on equal opportunities rather than traditional gender roles. If we could achieve this in society that would be for the benefit of everyone.”
Unfortunately it’s not been an easy road and there is still some way to go. As Shukla recalls: “When I was at school, you could count the number of physics/IT female students on one hand. Girls were encouraged to study other subjects, and the biggest reason enrolment into engineering courses was low was because we didn’t know it was an option for us.” And she adds: “I feel that more schools need to involve engineering companies at their careers fairs.”
Areeba agrees interaction is important: “Female students should attend open days to meet with engineers and explore what options are available for them.”
Mairead also feels that greater awareness is key: “I think increasing the visibility of female engineers can contribute to more girls choosing this career path. This has become a bit easier in recent times through social media, but at university/school careers talks I think it’s important to show that there are already women in the industry and they are willing to talk about their experiences.”
I too would like to encourage female engineers to come forward to share their experiences at STEM, career and industry events. We need role models to inspire the younger generation. It is also vital to support each other and to empower women to take on leadership roles. I think that mentoring programmes can have a very positive impact and that more organisations should introduce initiatives like this.
The importance of diversity
There are a lot of different challenges in our society – with economic, environmental and geopolitical turmoil seen across the globe. So debates about gender roles and equal opportunities may not seem like the priority at the moment. But addressing the issue of diversity could in fact form part of the solution. By combining the talents of a diverse range of engineers, perhaps we could solve more of the challenges that we are facing in society more quickly.
