International Women in Engineering Day 2018

International Women in Engineering Day (INWED 2018) takes place this month, on 23^rd June 2018, and there are plenty of reasons for you to get involved. This global campaign is dedicated to increasing the awareness, support and celebration of female engineers and will see individuals, businesses, schools and universities taking part and shouting out about equality within engineering.

INWED 2018

Launched in 2014 as a national event, Women in Engineering Day celebrates the achievements of female engineers while highlighting the opportunities available for girls considering their career choices. This enormously successful event received UNESCO patronage in 2016 and became worldwide in 2017.

The Women’s Engineering Society

The genius behind this event is the Women’s Engineering Society constantly working hard to address the engineering skills gap, while also increasing diversity within the profession. Formed in 1919, the society has played a significant role in shaping the engineering industry through:

1. Supporting and rewarding female achievements;
2. Promoting engineering in the education system; and
3. Working with companies to increase gender diversity and equality.

Raising the bar

This year’s INWED theme is ‘raising the bar’; encouraging engineers to shout loud and proud about how they are raising the bar, in raising awareness and encouraging action for diversity.

Currently, fewer than 11% of the engineering workforce is female and only 5% are registered engineers or technicians. The UK has the lowest percentages globally and this extends to education, where only 15.1% of engineering and technology undergraduates and 20% of A-Level physics students are women. As a result, businesses are still struggling to recruit female engineers.  

Top 50 Women in Engineering

INWED also sees the release of the 2018 Top 50 Women in Engineering, which last year had over 500 nominations. Female engineers are responsible for world-changing engineering feats such as the discovery of Kevlar, the invention of the windscreen wiper, the technology behind today’s communication systems and world-famous structures such as the Brooklyn Bridge.

Events

Last year there were over 150 events held in recognition of INWED and you can see an interactive list of this year’s events here. We’ve also provided a summary of our favourites at the bottom of this page.

How to get involved

Any individual or company can get involved in #INWED18, by promoting the day and #RaisingTheBar. You can also join the WES’ mentoring programme and write a blog for She’s an Engineer.

Get planning

2019 will see the WES’ centenary – a true year for celebration. Get planning your 2019 events now!

UK events

Women in engineering display and reception – Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, 18^th – 22^nd June 2018

Brunel’s SS Great Britain: Exploring engineering – 19^th June 2018

Celebrating women in engineering – L&GR Professional Engineering Institutions, 19^th June 2018, 6pm – 11pm

CAV: Evolution or revolution? – 20^th June 2018, 12pm – 1.30pm

Raising the bar – Network Rail, 20^th June 2018

The future of women in engineering – Mary Rose Museum, 21^st June 2018, 6.30pm – 9pm

BDP women in engineering networking evening – 22^nd June 2018, 6pm – 8.30pm

IET: Creating a more diverse and inclusive workforce – 22^nd June 2018

Institute of Refrigeration: Women in RACHP career development event – 22^nd June 2018

Ipsen: International Women in Engineering Day film – 22^nd June 2018 (online)

Women in engineering showcase – Royal Navy and Babcock, 4^th July 2018

 

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