Gender disparity in engineering

Gender disparity in engineering

Source / author: 
EngineeringUK
Country: 
United Kingdom
Publication date: 
1 July 2018
Publication type: 
Reports and studies

EngineeringUK has published a research briefing on female underrepresentation in the industry. Despite efforts to address the imbalance, just 12% of those working in engineering are female. This disparity is largely due to girls dropping out of the educational pipeline at every decision point, despite generally performing better than boys in STEM subjects at school.

 

Evidence shows gender differences in understanding of and interest in engineering as well as perceptions of self-efficacy and identity are likely to be key factors when making subject and career choices. Girls are not only less knowledgeable about engineering and how to become an engineer, but also less likely to seek careers advice from others.