Engineering must combat perceptions to diversify the profession

In at least one respect, engineering suffers from a perception problem: certain sections of our society are less likely to view engineering as a suitable career than others.

Gender gap in engineering career perception

In new research, conducted for Engineers Ireland by Ipsos B&A, 1,000 people were asked if they viewed engineering as a career suitable for people like them. While close to half (47%) replied in the affirmative and just over a third (34%) in the negative, scrutinising these statistics reveals important insights.

One stark discrepancy occurs between men and women, as 39% of women say they do not view engineering as a career suitable for people like them, compared to just 29% of men. Similarly, when asked if they would consider engineering if starting their careers or making a career change, women were significantly less inclined to say yes, with 37% opposed, compared to 26% of men.

Socioeconomic divide in engineering perception

A comparable gulf exists when dividing by social grade, with 40% of those from lower socioeconomic groups (C2DE) stating that they do not view engineering as a career suitable for people like them, as opposed to 28% from more advantaged backgrounds (ABC1).

All groups viewed engineering positively; with negligible differences in their perceptions of it as a financially rewarding, interesting career, with plentiful job opportunities. Nevertheless, clear discrepancies in perceived suitability were evident among these population segments.

Fostering engineering inclusivity through education

Only 12% of engineers are women while Higher Education Authority statistics show that only 23% of graduates from 2022 engineering courses were women. Entry to the profession from different social grades is less studied, but limited research and anecdotal evidence tell us that a problem exists.

As a society and an engineering community, we must strive to create a profession that reflects diversity by tackling gender, socioeconomic and other stereotypes across STEM careers. The STEPS Engineering Your Future programme, hosted by third-level institutes and industry, is designed to promote engineering to Transition Year students and targets a 30% female participation rate. Parents, teachers and career guidance counsellors also play vital roles in addressing this inequality and must be supported in the process.

These steps represent meaningful progress in promoting engineering that emphasises equality. However, we still have a long way to go.