Women in engineering and technology
Why does it matter?
The opportunity to do good things for society and the world has never been greater. We're in the midst of creative and innovative times and society deserves to have input and perspective from both males and females. Research shows that more diverse teams create better solutions; more diversity equals more creativity.
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Where we are now
- Currently women make up less than 11% of the engineering sector, the UK has the lowest percentage of female engineering professionals in Europe [source] | [source]
- Only 15.1% of engineering and technology undergraduates in the UK are female and this has remained static since 2012 [source]
- Only 20% of A level physics students are girls and this has not changed for 25 years [source]
- Just 17% of those working in technology are women, however 55% of Twitter and Facebook users are women [source] | [source]
- Only 12% of students taking computer science A level are girls [source]
- Just 5% of leadership positions in the technology sector are held by women [source]
- Engineering is the most common undergraduate degree of the Fortune 500 CEOs [source]
What we're doing at LJMU
The good news is that in the last decade, the number of women in professional engineering roles has almost doubled from just over 25K to just over 50k in the UK.
A career in engineering is an exciting and rewarding proposition for any student, regardless of gender, but greater diversity will ultimately bring about a wider range of innovative engineering solutions that work for everyone.
If you'd like to get involved in any FET events, please contact Caroline Arnold.
In the news...
Check out these good news stories that celebrate women in engineering and technology.
- Sophie Harker: Young Woman Engineer of the Year
- Karen Uhlenbeck is first woman to win prestigious maths Abel prize
- Louise King, LJMU alumni, named Top 50 Women in Engineering 2018
- Dr Renske Smit is the latest researcher to join the Astrophysics Research Institute
Follow LJMU Women in Engineering and Tech on Instagram.
If you're considering pursuing a career in engineering or technology, there's a huge range of subjects to study. From electrical engineering to maritime studies, computer science to product design, why not find a subject that interests you?
Related news and views
Faq Items
International Women in Engineering Day 2021
This year we celebrated INWED 2021 by developing a new video featuring successful Academic Women Engineers sharing their views and experience and offering advice to women wanting to pursue a career in Engineering.
Girl Guiding Science and Engineering Day
LJMU’s Faculty of Engineering and Technology and Faculty of Science welcomed over 400 Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers to Byrom Street Campus to mark British Science Week and International Women’s Day.
The purpose of the event was introduce girls to lots of fun and exciting areas of science and engineering. Sessions included exploring astronomy through music, what it means to be an engineer, CSI and palaeontology.
Participants were asked to draw a scientist for a poster competition.
We were overwhelmed by the positive uptake and feedback on such a wonderful event.
International Women's Day
FET celebrated International Women’s Day on 8 March and held a panel discussion to celebrate to wonderful things women in engineering and technology are doing to help diversify the sector. Panellists included:
Louisa King, Black & Veatch
Louisa, a Civil Engineer and LJMU alumni, has been named as one of the Top 50 Women in Engineering for 2018 and the ICE President's Future Leader for 2017/2018.
Emily Cotter, InnovateHer
InnovateHer is a social enterprise launched in 26 schools across the North West which aims to improve equality in tech and address the digital skills gap.
Ellie Harkins, Liverpool John Moores University
Ellie is the Deputy Team Manager of LJMU's successful e-Racing team which builds an electric powered single seat race car to compete in the Formula Student competition.
Lizzy Parrot, Liverpool John Moores University
Lizzy is a PhD student in the LJMU Drone Research Group and the North West Regional Finalist STEM Rising Star for Forward Ladies.
Philippa Glover, CNC Robotics
Philippa works in Strategy and Development for CNC Robotics, a local SME that provides innovative solutions in the area of integrated industrial robots.
International Women in Engineering Day 2020
This year we celebrated INWED 2020 at a distance. We created and shared a new video featuring our amazing graduates Olivia and Sadia. We’ve featured video clips and good news stories celebrating women in engineering across our social media platforms.
In the past we’ve also celebrated INWED at our Open Days where visitors contribute to our ‘Engineering wall’ and hosted panel discussions with local engineers and alumni.
We also released our 5 ways to inspire a new generation of female engineers article
International Women Day
We have celebrated International Women’s Day by raising awareness of the challenges industry faces in diversifying its workforce in engineering, construction and technology. We have hosted a panel discussion to share best practice and discuss how we can help diversify the industry.
Innovate Her Wiki-edit-athon
We teamed up with InnovateHer and Stemettes to host their first Liverpool Wiki-edit-athon. A Wiki-edit-a-thon is a bit like an editing marathon. We worked through a backlog of Wikipedia pages to help improve the coverage of women and diversity in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) on Wikipedia. In 2011 only 10% of wiki contributors were female and in 2018 only 17% of entries on the online encyclopedia were about women.
Drone technology
Whether it’s for aerial photography, search and rescue or a delivery service, drones have a huge range of application and are at the cutting edge of technological development. This event introduced year 12 girls to drone technology like they’d never seen it before, taking a look at the components that make up the many shapes and sizes of these amazing devices. The event also looked into many of the applications that drone technology is currently being used for while taking a look at different examples from our own Drone Research Group.