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Women in Engineering

 

Research conducted by Engineers Canada in 2004 shows that the enrolment of women in undergraduate engineering programs increased until the year 2000. The number of women enrolled in undergraduate engineering programs has since leveled off and there are signs of a decline in the percentage of women pursuing engineering in relation to men. Currently, less than 20 percent of undergraduate engineering students in Canada are women.

According to Engineers Canada's research, women tend to be well-represented in certain fields of engineering such as environmental or chemical engineering, and are often found working in the educational sector. Due partly to the low numbers of women who entered the engineering profession in Canada prior to the early 1980s, women account for only 9 percent of the country's total population of registered professional engineers.

A 2002 study of women working in the engineering profession highlights the importance women place on mentoring and professional development as part of their career development.

Engineers Canada has looked in detail at the issue surrounding the gradual decline in the proportion of female representation in the engineering profession. The organization has a Policy on Women in Engineering and a National Women in Engineering Advisory Group, which includes representation from Engineers Canada’s members, the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council Canada Chairs for Women in Science and Engineering and the National Council of Deans of Engineering and Applied Science. Also, in the Fall of 2008 the Women in Engineering Task Force was created. The Task Force’s role is to examine the issues facing the profession, develop goals and objectives to increase the representation of women in engineering, and provide recommendations to the Engineers Canada Board of Directors on how to implement these recommendations.

In September 2009, members of the Women in Engineering Advisory Group and Women in Engineering Task Force held a Workshop session. This Workshop resulted in mutually agreed-upon initiatives for further advancement of the recommendations, including raising the profile and improving the image of the profession, demonstrating the value of diversity in engineering education and in the workplace, and helping prepare engineers for a diverse workforce. Please see "The Future is Now. Engineers Take the Lead!" report for more information.

Engineers Canada presents the Award for the Support of Women in the Engineering Profession, as part of the Engineers Canada Awards Program. In addition, Engineers Canada supports the Canadian Engineering Memorial Foundation, which offers awards and incentives to outstanding women in an undergraduate or a graduate engineering program, and recognizes community role models.

For more information on Engineers Canada's Women in Engineering initiatives, contact Engineers Canada at research@engineerscanada.ca

Engineers Canada would also like to raise awareness of the efforts of Engineers Without Borders (www.ewb.ca) in helping to promote women engineers. Its most recent campaign is entitled “Engineers Serve the World”: which features great international work being done by several female engineers.

The world needs innovative strategic thinkers who are willing to push existing limits to overcome pressing challenges. With this vision in mind we are launching a Canada-wide ESTW (Engineers Serve the World) campaign to inspire engineers, and future engineers, to change the world. To learn about the possibilities we imagine for this new generation of social problem solvers check out our latest video here.

To find how to get involved or to get free resources such as videos, stickers and posters, please email ESTWinfo@gmail.com


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