Gender imbalance persists in engineering profession

Women earn lower incomes than men across the engineering profession and are less likely to hold top management responsibilities, according to a survey released today by Engineers Australia. The Engineers Australia Survey of Working Environment and Engineering Careers 2012 revealed a number of major gender divides, according to the more than 6000 member-respondents.

“Statistics show that the current gender composition of the engineering profession is imbalanced; an overwhelming majority of professional engineers are men. This is also reflected in the anecdotal evidence in the survey,” said Professor Julie Mills of the Engineers Australia Women in Engineering Advisory Board.

“For the most part, women engineers are earning less than their male counterparts and women are found to be in fewer decision-making roles.

“There is considerable evidence that when women engineers are responsible for the care of children, their employment participation rate falls, and [this] is more prevalent in engineering than in other professions with comparable education requirements.

“The survey respondents reporting their level of engineering qualifications revealed that women are equally as, or more, qualified than men in most categories. This is particularly notable in postgraduate education. The substantial gender imbalance in engineering results in the underutilisation of a large pool of highly skilled workers and is detrimental to Australia’s economy and productivity growth.

“The Engineers Australia Women in Engineering special interest groups across Australia are celebrating International Women’s Day to draw attention to their mission for the ongoing transition of the profession into one that values and supports the contribution of women.

“On International Women’s Day, it is important to draw attention to the fact there are gender imbalances between men and women in engineering so that the profession can take action and proactively encourage, support and retain women,” said Professor Mills.

Engineers Australia’s Women in Engineering special interest groups deliver events, campaigns and key initiatives to support the ongoing transition of engineering to an inclusive profession that values the contribution of women in the engineering team.