Only 1 in 10 engineers in Australia are female

Here’s how to fix the enduring inequity in our profession

In the more than two decades I’ve been working as an engineer, I’ve been hearing the same conversation about gender equity. Everyone agrees it’s a glaring issue in our profession. And we have always known how to fix it: pay equal wages for equal work, offer flexible working conditions and build a more inclusive culture.

Given the heightened emphasis on the issue today, it’s about time we moved decisively to shift the dial.

In 2016, when Engineers Australia last released this data, women only accounted for 11.2% of engineering jobs. And I doubt those figures have improved very much. In 2020, women only made up 17% of engineering graduates,[1] as Australia bore the brunt of insufficient graduates in engineering among OECD countries.?

On International Women in Engineering Day, let me give you my thoughts on what we can collectively do to move this forward.

Check and close any pay gaps

Take steps to increase the visibility and awareness of fairness in your pay structure. Every quarter, review and address existing pay gaps. Put a gender lens across every performance review, salary increase, starting salary and incentive payment.

Make flex work available to all

While work flexibility is expected by and good for everyone, we know it can especially help boost female employment. For office-based workers, people should be able to choose each day’s start and end times – and use any work pattern that allows them to ‘give their best’. This is what we’ve got in place at Aurecon.

Even in construction roles, it’s possible to offer flex work by clever rostering that ensures someone is on site when needed but still gives people options to fit work around their lives.

Address unconscious bias

Study after study shows women leaving engineering because they don’t feel comfortable to raise safety concerns. Recent surveys found more than a quarter of female engineers reporting they had experienced sexual harassment in the workplace compared with just 2.5% of men.

It’s time to address this issue head on. Last year, Aurecon ran an Active Bystander Campaign – a succinct, educational, email-based program with vivid example scenarios and practical recommended actions if people encountered sexism and sexual harassment.

If you don’t think this type of education is needed – think again. Read Kate Jenkins Respect@Work report. It’s a shocking reflection of the gendered nature of workplace harassment, with the Inquiry hearing about some truly devastating experiences.

Stop the stereotype

Most of us recognise the importance of gender diversity in engineering, but our society contains a myriad of subtle stereotypes that push girls away from STEM subjects. Every day, the media shows us engineers in hard hats and high-vis jackets. In reality, this only represents one segment of the engineering workforce. But it continues to be the visual message we feed our kids.

It doesn’t have to be this way. In other countries, engineering is accepted as an excellent subject for women to study. In Iran, women make up more than 50% of the graduates in engineering and computer science.[2] Indonesia boasts 48% female engineers.[3]

It’s time to ramp up the effort to de-gender our industries. If we can de-gender kids’ toys, we can do the same with engineering. It’s heartening to see an increasing number of organisations already change the way they depict the profession over the years.

Fill the short-term gap with migrant engineers

Building the local pipeline of female engineers is a long game. In the meantime, we should turn to the ready-made pool of qualified migrants who may be currently sitting idle.

In 2016, we had 2.3 times more overseas-born than Australian-born female qualified engineers.[4] Female migrant engineers made up a talent pool of over 31,000. But nearly half our migrant engineers looking for work are unemployed because Australia puts an irrational premium on local experience.[5]

If you can build a tunnel in Iran or Indonesia, you can build one in Australia or New Zealand. Let’s not overlook the talent that our migrant engineers can bring to the table. International experience is a source of diverse thinking, giving us access to alternative views and perspectives – not to mention strong capability.

Let’s unlock that under-employment and clear the pathway for migrants to use their valuable skills here. Let’s get agile with our bridging courses so it’s easy for migrants to get their skills recognised. Let’s change our hiring practices and stop insisting on local experience. Let’s start using the people sitting on the bench!

On International Women in Engineering Day, let’s recognise there is lots of work to do. By nurturing and welcoming local and migrant female engineers we could help fill the talent vacuum and make the profession healthier, happier and more successful.

Are you with me?

[1] According to the Australian Council of Engineering Deans (ACED) in 2020.

[2] https://www.universityaffairs.ca/features/feature-article/the-engineering-gender-gap-its-more-than-a-numbers-game/

[3] https://engineering.purdue.edu/ENE/News/the-stem-paradox-why-are-muslimmajority-countries-producing-so-many-female-engineers

[4] https://engineersaustralia.org.au/sites/default/files/resources/Public%20Affairs/2019/The%20Engineering%20Profession%2C%20A%20Statistical%20Overview%2C%2014th%20edition%20-%2020190613b.pdf

[5] https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-02/migrant-engineers-overlooked-for-work-and-jobs-report-says/100665902