International Women in Engineering Day 23 June 2023

This year sees the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) celebrate its 10th year of International Women in Engineering Day.

INWED promotes the amazing work that women engineers are doing and the theme for 2023 is #MakeSafetySeen. Around the world, women engineers are still hugely underrepresented, even here in the UK figures from 2021 claim that only 16.5% of engineers are women.

We spoke to HWA Engineer Claudia Henry to find out why she wanted to become an engineer and what brought her to HWA. “I chose civil engineering because I’ve always had a great interest in maths and science, and I wanted to do something that was meaningful but also creative. After researching the different engineering careers, I felt civil engineering was the perfect fit and applied to university for a civil engineering degree. After graduating, I applied to HWA because they have an excellent reputation for their commitment to promoting and creating an environment that is welcoming and encouraging to everyone.”

Data from 2020 estimates that the number of women engineers around the world needs to be increased by 10-20% annually to reach gender parity by 2060. Being a woman in engineering can bring unique challenges, but WES is devoted to supporting women engineers throughout their career, providing a safe and welcoming space to connect, share experiences and solve challenges together.

We hope that INWED continues to challenge stereotypes and encourages more women to pursue careers in engineering.