In light of International Women’s Day, IET President Naomi Climer called for an end to engineering gender inequality. Women make up a measly 10 percent of the engineering workforce today.
This past week we celebrated International Women’s Day – March 8th – a day to celebrate the diverse and rich achievements of women over time. The holiday was established during the gender equality labor movements at the turn of the Twentieth Century, and the United Nations considers the holiday a huge proponent of promoting gender equality globally. Diversity is still an issue in most countries, and the US is no exception.
The United States has deep patriarchal roots, and while this is changing, Institution of Engineering and Technology President Naomi Climer believes it should be changing faster. Climer is the first female president of the 144-year-old organization, and this past International Women’s Day, Climer challenged IET members and the community at large to truly celebrate the accomplishments of historical female engineers. By highlighting the numerous achievements of women in engineering, Climber hopes this will inspire the next generation of girls to contribute to the increasing demand for technical innovators in a field that is predominantly run by men.
According to the Society of Women Engineers, women made up a mere 10.2% of the engineering workforce in 2004. The number of female engineers has doubled since 1983, but Climer urges community leaders to encourage young girls to pursue engineering now, as she said the Royal Academy of Engineering estimates the need for a million new engineers worldwide, largely due to the sheer numbers of baby boomers retiring and the increasing demand for technological innovations. As such, time is of the essence to encourage young girls to join the workforce and shape the future of our world.
This movement to get girls more involved in engineering isn’t new. In the last few years there has been a push to get girls more involved in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education at a young age. According to a study conducted by the US Department of Education, a larger percentage of young girls take advanced mathematics and science classes in high school, but reported less satisfaction with the subjects than male peers. Some of this might be due to the fact that males statistically perform better in advanced sciences (such as physics), and mathematics, but much of it could also be due to blurred vision as to what kinds of jobs are available within the STEM disciplines.
To combat this, many enthusiastic makers have begun offering local workshops to show girls, and kids overall, the exciting things that can be made with STEM. Some schools have also begun offering making workshops where kids can tinker with robotics, electronics and the like to explore their own interests within the field. Similar initiatives include girls-only STEM summer camps and monthly subscriptions for at-home STEM DIY project kits.
Whatever the method, one thing is certain: there is a huge push to get kids, particularly girls, involved in STEM. With a serious demand for engineers growing every year, this is a wonderful thing. If your child finds an interest in the field, he or she can almost guarantee good job placement in one of the highest-paid industries. If the interest is short-lived, at least your child will learn some invaluable problem solving skills, perfect for figuring out exactly what to do about that spilled milk before you get home.
If you’re in the Chicago area, you can check out local STEM programs here. If you aren’t, check out the community boards in your area. And if all else fails, check out some of the DIY STEM subscriptions you can get here. Also, feel free to check out some noteworthy accomplishment women in engineering, care of How Stuff Works and ASME. Happy making!
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