Bridging the Gender Gap: The Engineering Field
June 11 • Written by Rianna Kalra
Although women account for more than half of Canada's population, they are still greatly underrepresented in both engineering education and the engineering profession. Women represent just 34% of the workforce in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The gender disparities are especially shown in some of the fastest-growing and highest-paying careers of the future, such as computer science and engineering.Over recent decades, there has been a rise in the number of women enrolling in post-secondary engineering programs and entering the engineering workforce. However, despite these consistent increases, the engineering field remains predominantly male, with men significantly outnumbering women.
Canada has seen encouraging growth in the number of women enrolling in post-secondary engineering programs. Universities and colleges across the country are increasingly recognizing the importance of diversifying their student bodies and creating inclusive environments that support all aspiring engineers. Initiatives like outreach programs, scholarships, and mentorship opportunities have played a crucial role in attracting more women to engineering.
In this blog post, we will go over some opportunities and programs in Canada that encourage and promote young women interested in the engineering fields.
This are programs designed specifically for girls in elementary and secondary school:
Go ENG Girl: offers girls and non-binary youth in grades 7-10 the chance to learn more about engineering through a series of fun hands-on activities and exhibits. Women undergraduate students, professional engineers and professors take part in the day to share their stories of passion, inspiration and success: https://www.onwie.ca/programs/go-eng-girl/
Girls' Jr. DEEP: offers all girls in Grades 3-8 a chance to conduct experiments, work on engineering design projects, and this is led by University of Toronto female engineering students: https://outreach.engineering.utoronto.ca/pre-university-programs/elementary/girls-jr-deep/
ENGSquad: Just for Girls Mentorship Program: pairs women in high school with women studying engineering at Western University, but also provides awesome activities for these mentors and mentees to see and learn about engineering: https://www.eng.uwo.ca/outreach/pre-university-programs/just-for-girls/mentorship/
Cybermentor: matches girls in grades 6 to 12 with female mentors. Weekly online chats reinforce girls’ interests in science and engineering, and mentors proved students with resources to learn about coding, robotic, and software/hardware: https://schulich.ucalgary.ca/community/equity-diversity-and-inclusion/expanding-access-engineering
In conclusion, the underrepresentation of women in the engineering field is not simply a matter of statistics; it's a reflection of societal biases and stereotypes that continue to drag gender inequality. Women often feel undervalued in male dominated work environments, and often face stereotypes such as they are less capable of handling physical or technically demanding tasks. This bias not only undermines women's confidence but also discourages them from pursuing/continuing careers in engineering. It's extremely important that we address this issue head-on and work towards creating a culture of inclusivity and respect within the engineering profession. It's time to recognize that women are just as, if not more, capable and deserving of success in engineering as their male peers. By creating a supportive and inclusive environment that embraces the contributions of all individuals, we can ensure that women feel empowered to pursue their passions and thrive in the engineering field.
