Empower women in power

On National Women in Engineering Day 2015 Georgia Kokkinou, argues the case for more overt action to boost the confidence of women considering a career in engineering and energy.

Never has it been more important to actively engage women in the field of engineering.

Currently, just nine per cent of professional engineers in the UK are women. By encouraging young women to pursue careers in engineering, companies will not only be increasing diversity and inclusion, but also be working towards filling substantial future job opportunities.

The second ‘National Women in Engineering Day’, taking place today (Tuesday 23 June), aims to celebrate the work that women do in engineering, and to showcase the great engineering careers that are available to young people.

As a 28 year old woman working as an M+E Engineer for UK Power Reserve, the UK’s leading independent developer and operator of smart and flexible power generation, I certainly stand out in the crowd.

I have found that being in a minority can actually be an advantage, because you can often offer a different perspective. But while promoting gender equality is important, it should really be more about what you can achieve and what skills you can bring to the table.

To a certain extent, my career choices may have been subconsciously influenced by my family environment as both my father and brother are engineers.  I studied mechanical and aeronautics engineering at University of Patras, Greece.  Afterwards I focused on sustainable energy and environment at Cardiff University.

In our society, the prevailing image of engineers as men is unhelpful. Many women possess the attributes to become engineers, but social pressures sometimes prevent them from realising their potential. This is gradually changing but it is a slow process. We need to move away from the stereotype of what an engineer and a leader looks like so that fresh talent can be encouraged into the sector. Employers also need to look past the issue of gender and ensure that opportunities are given fairly and on the basis of competence. 

More work is needed, both in society and industry, to encourage girls to engage in maths and science in school, to support women pursuing engineering degrees in university and to provide opportunities for them to thrive in our workplaces. Through working in partnership with schools and colleges, employers can promote the promising, exciting, rich and varied careers which are available within the engineering industry for women and men alike. 

Everyone should be able to pursue a career that matches their interests and skills, not simply what social conventions dictate.