Women in engineering

"It made me realise you don’t need to be a strong man to do the job of
an engineer as I also saw many women working as engineers,and they were
having fun.”

23 June celebrates women in engineering. It is an international day of recognition for the women who have paved the way, and broken down barriers to make the industry more accessible for women today. But there is still a huge gap between the genders with only 16.5% of those in engineering in the UK being women according to Women's Engineering Society . It is clear, more work needs to be done at all levels from changing parents' perceptions, bolstering career guidance and changing industry attitudes. 

To get a better idea of what it is like for the women who have taken the jump we spoke to two of our female engineers, Cristina Reyes who is in her first year of her engineering apprenticeship and Laura Vela-Reyes a Lead Prototype & Test Engineer here at Stannah. 

Pursuing a career in engineering 

"I was drawn to engineering because the industry and its technology are
constantly changing and improving so I know that I can’t ever get bored!”

We started out by asking what led them to pursue a career in engineering. Laura starts, “I grew up and went to an only girl’s school in Bucaramanga, Colombia. At school I liked maths and physics and while at school I was lucky as I was able to visit a mining company. It made me realise you don’t need to be a strong man to do the job of an engineer as I also saw many women working as engineers, and they were having fun.”

For Christina, it was also at school where her love for engineering began, she explains. “In secondary school, I enjoyed learning and researching about how various products are designed, developed and manufactured in Design Technology, as well as having a keen interest in maths and physics. In computer science, I developed a skill for problem-solving through learning how to program and from there, I started to create my own programmable circuits as a hobby. I was drawn to engineering because the industry and its technology are constantly changing and improving so I know that I can’t ever get bored!”

Support

"No one judged me but they did ask why I wanted to become an engineer
which I don’t think they would have done if I had been a boy." 

It is often at an early school age when we are first asked what we want to be when we grow up. Some are drawn to the family line of work such as policing, medicine or legal, and in some cases, children are also swayed by parents' misconceptions around a role, such as nursing is for women and engineering is for men. Luckily for both Christina and Laura they had supportive people around them. 

Christine said, “My parents, friends and teachers were always encouraging, so I always felt like I could pursue any career that I wanted to.” 

It was similar for Laura but she also experienced some of those ‘old-school’ perceptions, “My family, they have been very supportive and they always said do what you feel will make you happy, try your best and work hard. However I did get some people ask why I wanted to be an engineer. Some of this was because my parents were teachers so I was asked why I wanted to be an engineer and not a teacher. No one judged me but they did ask why I wanted to become an engineer which I don’t think they would have done if I had been a boy.  

Sometimes older people may ask why I have chosen to become an engineer. They are not judging but they may say that it is something that men do. However, in my career I have always been respected.”

Influence

When asked what was the most influential or helpful thing that encouraged or supported them to pursue engineering as a career, Christine said, “I always find it helpful to have a clear goal of what I want to accomplish and to try and not let other people’s expectations influence what that goal is. By basing my goals on the things that I like to do and learn, I find it much easier to deal with difficult or boring tasks as well as preventing burnout.”

Laura said, “At school being able to see what opportunities there were and being supported to explore those was helpful. Also having supportive family and a good manager.”

The role a school plays

It is clear that schools play a very important part in the career decision making process. As well as the influence from our peers, the career guidance offered and encouragement from teachers will also have a huge impact on what path a student will choose to go down.  

On this topic Laura commented, “I went to an only girls school which is a bit different. Our teachers encouraged us to do what we wanted to do. In my case I liked maths and physics and the teachers helped me feel comfortable and encouraged us to follow our dreams.

So what more can schools do to encourage girls to pursue engineering?

"...it is important to stress that women and girls who do choose engineering,
or other STEM careers, are leading a change in the industry and are positive
role models for those who may be hesitant to follow the career that they
want to work in."

Christine replied, “Currently, I think it’s difficult because I believe that many women and girls are put off by working in an environment where they may feel isolated or targeted. I think that once the industry has more females in the workplace, naturally many more will follow.

“I also think that it is important to stress that women and girls who do choose engineering, or other STEM careers, are leading a change in the industry and are positive role models for those who may be hesitant to follow the career that they want to work in. From my perspective, I see that being part of a change in the industry is exciting and I hope to see more girls choose engineering.

Laura added, “I think that schools supporting the opportunities to visit companies. Also for girls to see other women working in those jobs. Girls might feel intimidated working in a team of all men.Girls may find it easier to choose a path into engineering if they could see more women doing those roles who they could identify with.”

Starting out

"It made me doubt my abilities as I thought I wouldn’t be able to do as
well as the others."

From our experience working with schools and universities we have seen that there is usually a pretty even split among girls' and boys’ interest in STEM subjects, but when they reach GCSEs that is when there is a steep drop off. So as some of the ones who have persevered and decided to pursue a career in engineering, we asked our two engineers what it was like for them when they first started their engineering journey.Christina who is at the very start of her journey said, “Before my apprenticeship, I was hesitant to pursue engineering as working in a heavily male-dominated environment was extremely different from what I was used to. It made me doubt my abilities as I thought I wouldn’t be able to do as well as the others. Even now I find that working in a male-dominated environment, especially as a young person, can be difficult sometimes. After almost a year into my apprenticeship though, I find that it doesn’t bother me as much and I’m grateful to have met some very interesting and inspiring people.”

Laura who has done an electronic engineering degree said, “There were two girls and about 30 or so boys in my course at university so at that stage there was quite a difference. However, since I was the first female engineer in my family, my sister and some of my female cousins have chosen to be engineers and I hope to see more young girls wanting to try to join and do an engineering degree."

She goes on, “As for my first job, that was in a nickel mining company, there were other women who started at the same time as me in different engineering roles so I could see the variety of engineering roles. I then worked for a mobile operator and had great support to start with my development as well which led me to more work experiences outside my country. If you have dreams you can make them happen as long as you work hard.

Encouragement

“Throughout my career I have had managers who have always encouraged me to
explore different areas within engineering..."

So how did our female engineers stick with it? Christine said, “I found that initially it was difficult to work towards something that was different from what my peers were doing – especially at an all girls school as it’s hard to find guidance for a path that is less common amongst women. A big part of why I stuck with engineering as a career despite this was my interest to learn more about the field and to find work that I am passionate about and enjoy.”

For Laura who has a few years of experience in the industry under her belt, it was her colleagues, she said, “Throughout my career I have had managers who have always encouraged me to explore different areas within engineering and take on different roles within engineering, for example early in my career one of my managers encouraged me to start exploring project management and it was a very interesting experience. At the time I didn’t know an engineer could be a project manager as well.

“Having good mentors was very helpful, and working with other engineers who have achieved things themselves. Having good support and training opportunities within work is important. Since I joined Stannah I have been highly supported by my team and my managers have given me a great opportunity to learn new skills and develop my career as an engineer even more.”

Hindsight

Looking back, we asked if there was anything they wished they knew before starting their journey to becoming an engineer.

For Laura it was the lack of knowing what was out there, she said, “Before starting university, I had only been on the visit to the mining company so that is what I knew, also I was interested in how things work, but when I started working, I saw there were different paths within engineering. Perhaps some children only think engineering is one thing, but in fact there are many different opportunities available as an engineer.  

And once on the path, we wanted to know if there had been anything unexpected they hadn’t considered or learnt which surprised them. 

Christine responded, “As I started my apprenticeship straight after GCSEs, I had very basic knowledge of engineering and what it would be like working in a professional environment in general. Being surrounded by other engineers who have been working in the industry for a long time, I’m amazed by how much I’ve learnt from them about things I wouldn’t have been able to learn at school.”

Laura said, “There is not much that I didn’t expect however it has given me many opportunities to travel and work in several other countries around the world. I have had experience of working with people my age from different cultures and backgrounds which is probably something I didn’t expect.”

Parting words

"Don’t just choose a career because your family thinks you should do it
or it is what your friends might be doing. Take opportunities to do work
experience or visit companies and be open minded to other opportunities
as well."  

It is clear, that for both taking risks and despite any apprehensions, following your passion is what drove these women to seek careers in engineering, So what would they say to young people, particularly girls, who might be thinking about a career in engineering?

Laura replied, “I would say what I said to my sister and my cousins, I would say do what makes you happy. Don’t just choose a career because your family thinks you should do it or it is what your friends might be doing. Take opportunities to do work experience or visit companies and be open minded to other opportunities as well.  

“Get comfortable with taking risks!"

Christine’s answer was, “Get comfortable with taking risks! Doing something different than what the people around you are doing can be scary or confusing but as long as you put the effort in and plan out your goals, there’s a high chance it will pay off in the end. I feared the idea of making mistakes and not meeting expectations, but I’ve learnt that people won’t expect you to be good at everything straight away and will often accommodate for your differences instead.

And as for advice, what do you have for any female students that might be interested in starting a career in engineering?

Christine’s advice is, “Stick with it! Have a plan and find joy in what you are learning as it will help motivate you. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, even if you think it’ll make you seem stupid. Planning and hard work will get you where you want to be, no matter how others may see you.”

Laura added, “I would always suggest they do what makes them happy and don’t let society or stereotypes decide for them. Try and visit different companies to see what opportunities there are.”

It was the founder of Stannah, Joseph Stannah who said:

"It is undoubtedly the duty of every engineer to instruct their share of
the rising generation, but it is also their duty to do it in such a way as
shall conduce most to the general prosperity of the future."

This belief and value has been carried on by the Stannah family who still run the business today, and the reason why the Joseph Stannah Foundation was founded. The foundation aims to encourage an early interest in STEM subjects and careers. Through the foundation, Stannah has been able to work with local schools with the help of its STEM ambassadors and volunteers from the business. Research by the Engineering Council (The Engineering Brand Monitor 2019) found compelling evidence that showed STEM outreach can and does work: young people attending a STEM careers activity in the previous 12 months were over three times as likely to consider a career in engineering than those who had not.

Stannah will continue to play its part to help schools with their STEM outreach programme and hope to see more girls choose engineering as a career and when they do we will have some amazing women to act as mentors and inspiration on their career journey. 

For more information on our available roles or advice about getting into engineering, contact our Talent Acquisition team for more information, or go to corporate.stannah.com/careers