Women’s participation in engineering and other STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields has been historically low, a reality that has been widely attributed to the influence of gender stereotyping in the educational and workforce domains. That being said, recent years have witnessed a substantial uptick in the number of women studying and working in engineering, and at present women represent approximately 15% of the engineering workforce. As reported by the Rochester Institute of Technology, women account for 8.3% of mechanical engineers, 12.5% of electrical and electronics engineers, 12.6% of civil engineers, 14.7% of chemical engineers, and 20.2% of industrial engineers. Women also represent 24% of the overall STEM workforce. We still have some work to do before workforce equality is achieved. In the meantime, these numbers are definitely promising.
Engineering is a rapidly expanding field and one that has never seen a higher demand than exists in the here and now. Today, women across the United States are leveraging this reality to shatter glass ceilings in the profession—at the University of Texas at Austin, for example, 15% of the doctorate degrees in mechanical engineering granted go to women, and the percentage of women that comprise their undergraduate program in mechanical engineering has risen from 17% to more than 22% from 2013 to present—only three years’ time. Moreover, Times Higher Education reports that women are especially interested in engineering’s potential to positively impact social development and aid humanitarian causes—two popular motivations for pursuing engineering degrees among women in the field.
As the rate of women’s participation in engineering has increased, so, too, has the number of women occupying high-ranking positions in engineering-oriented organizations. Increasingly, women fill the roles of managers, directors, and company presidents and CEOs, and in doing so demonstrate the high value of diversification in this and other traditionally male-dominated fields.
With more and more highly educated, experienced, and ambitious women entering the engineering job market, it behooves all companies seeking to fill positions to cast a wide net in the interests of acquiring the best talent out there and building the most diverse team possible. Fortunately, Austin Nichols Technical Search is here to help. A contract recruiting firm in Kansas City, Austin Nichols specializes in connecting companies with candidates whose education, experience and personality best reflect the specific job requirements and the greater workplace values and culture. Moreover, a contract recruiting firm for the engineering industry such as Austin Nichols takes care of all of the busywork involved in hiring—from sifting through resumes to performing background checks to conducting first-round interviews—freeing up you and your HR team to concentrate on the employees you already have, and delivering only the most viable candidates directly to you.
Austin Nichols Technical Search is a highly respected direct hire and contract recruiting firm in Kansas City. We have been in business since 1988, and specialize in direct hire and contract recruiting for engineering, manufacturing, and technical positions. Ready to expand your existing talent—and in doing so, to diversify your team? Our experienced, professional recruiters are here to help.
