International women's day is the time of year where we reflect on women's achievements and also focus on what needs to be done to help the further generations. IWD is also a time to reflect on the issues and realise that there is still plenty of work left to do in order to eliminate inequality and discrimination.
It has been reported that 23% of male students studying A Levels in maths and/or physics went on to study engineering and technology , compared to 8% of female students. This is continued into University with only 18% of those studying undergraduate degrees in engineering and/or technology being female, compared to 57% for all degree subjects combined.
Attempts have been made for years to improve curriculums to attract more women to the field, but even after university, women are leaving the field. According to NPR, around 40% of women who earn engineering degrees either quit or never enter the profession.
So why are so many women leaving? The issues are proving to stretch far beyond education. Many have suggested that the reasoning lies in the ‘old school’ culture of engineering, where the ideas of a ‘boys only’ workplace still existing in many organisations.
In a survey, women noted that one of their top reasons for leaving engineering was the lack of opportunities to develop and advance in comparison to their male counterparts. The need for culture change sits in the laps of companies, and they have a duty to their staff to provide a welcoming environment where everyone can thrive.
The effects of diversity in the workplace have been proved to have many benefits, from increased productivity and creativity, to positive environments.
The historical focus on maths, science and engineering courses chased away women; now we need to focus on how to include everyone. The newer industrial revolution that we are facing has rapidly changed the way we receive information, how we work, how we process, how we engineer etc. and because of this, we simply can’t afford to have any less than an entire population engaged and contributing.
Educating everyone on the importance of IWD is highly important, and always recognising that as a business, we can always do more. The theme for 2023 International Womens Day is #EmbraceEquity , together we can forge women's equality.