How do international women celebrate Engineering Day?

International Women in Engineering Day is celebrated across the globe to raise awareness about the women pursuing engineering and transforming the world with their incredible achievements. For centuries, women have played an essential role as designers and builders of critical structures and machines even before the term ‘engineer’ was coined in the 11th century. However, fields, such as engineering, have been largely kept shut from women. Upon the establishment of educational institutions, most universities didn’t admit women until the early 1800s. Even then, the admission remained sectioned to traditionally ‘female’ fields.

But this has never deterred women from participating in the engineering sector. In 1876, Elizabeth Bragg, unfettered by the gender disparities and discrimination, became the first female recipient of an engineering degree when she got her bachelor’s in civil engineering from the University of Berkeley, paving the way for thousands of women of the 19th century who followed her lead. We also can’t forget that it was a woman, Ada Lovelace, who collaborated with Charles Babbage to design the first computer program in the world.

It wasn’t until the Second World War that serious attention was paid to women’s education in technical fields. Facing the reality of the shortage of technical labor, quick on-the-job training schedules were launched by major players in the field. Even in the 21st century, STEM continues to be dominated by men. With the gruesome gender gap and hiring discrimination, women continue to endure struggles in this field. Nevertheless, if women have the passion and they remain determined, they may be able to close this gap and get high-paying engineering jobs like men soon in the future.

International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) takes place on 23 June each year. It is a chance to celebrate the amazing work being done by female engineers around the world.

At Cundall, we are proud to have many diverse and talented engineers across the business, each offering their best, most innovative selves every day.

As an industry we must provide positive, relatable role models to young people and showcase the wide range of opportunities that exist. One of the best ways that we can encourage women to join the industry is by showcasing the voices of our own women.

In celebration of 2022’s International Women in Engineering Day, we have spoken to four of our inspirational engineers from across the globe. Each engineer shares insights into some of the projects they are most proud of and why they chose to pursue a career in engineering.

“You can’t be what you can’t see.” 

It is an often-quoted phrase that rings true for Dr Mariam Darestani, Senior Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering at Western Sydney University. Darestani herself initially got into chemical engineering because she could see women in leadership positions in her home country of Iran, where nearly 70 per cent of university STEM graduates are women. 

However, for women and girls in Australia today, she says, the situation is quite different. 

Women make up just 16 per cent of university students studying engineering and 13 per cent of the engineering workforce in Australia. This means there aren’t always visible role models for women to follow. 

“As it stands now, a female engineering graduate will go into an environment where she won’t see many women,” Darestani says. “I think there’s a perception that engineering is a ‘difficult’ job or not necessarily suitable for women. We need to show women and girls — from primary school up … If our girls can see someone else doing it, they’re going to think, ‘I can do it, too.’” 

First-of-its-kind research released today by Engineers Australia exploring the barriers to women entering the profession supports the idea that more must be done to showcase the incredible work of engineers. The study found the biggest barrier to girls choosing to study engineering was a lack of familiarity with engineering and what engineers do.

“What I’ve seen in my career is that women aren’t always that good at putting their hand up and being confident. There is sometimes the feeling that if you get something wrong, it will be related to the fact that you’re young and female,” she says. 

“I think we need to go beyond mentorship and have a kind of sponsorship — a ‘he for she’ type of thinking — where male engineers support their female colleagues.” 

Jane MacMaster

Encouraging more women and girls to see engineering as a viable career path is vital to ensure the best outcomes — both for the profession and society as a whole. “As women engineers, we often bring a different perspective to the problem solving and design part of engineering,” MacMaster says. 

“When we’re talking about designing things such as seat belts or public transport systems, we need different sectors of society represented in the engineering process. This ensures we design systems that humans of all shapes, sizes and backgrounds can use safely and productively.” 

Diversity is important to ensure the solutions generated by engineers are fit for purpose, and for the people who use them. 

“We should make sure that every team is diverse, from cultural diversity to gender diversity and people living with disability,” Darestani says. “If you’re going to design innovative products for the future, it’s something you need to consider.” 

Why is women in Engineering Day celebrated?

International Women in Engineering Day is celebrated on June 23 every year around the world, to honor women in the field of engineering. It focuses on raising the profile of women who are changing the field of engineering one degree at a time.

What do you do on Engineering Day?

How to Celebrate Engineer's Day?.

Showing Gratitude to Engineers..

Organising Events to Honour Engineers..

Education and Awareness..

Gifts and Perks..

Conducting Seminars/Conferences/Competitions..

How is International women's Day celebrated?

Whether hosting an event, running a campaign, launching an initiative, reporting on achievement, donating to a female-focused charity, or more - there are many ways groups and individuals can mark International Women's Day.

What day is women in Engineering Day?

International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) is a special day during which women engineers celebrate their achievements! June 23rd marks International Women in Engineering Day. Did you know that since 1982, women have earned almost 10 million more college degrees than men?