The changing landscape for women in engineering

11 May, 2020

Smashing stereotypes and building for the future

Tia Jones is in the first year of a Foundation Degree in Rail Engineering at Newcastle College and has already landed a job as a track worker with Ganymede Solutions. “With my dad being a joiner, I’ve always been interested in engineering,” says Jones. “Myself and my brother had always played with Lego when we were younger and I had helped my dad fix cars, so engineering has always been in my background.”

Throughout British Science Week a ‘smashing stereotypes’ campaign will be led by the British Science Association to tackle stereotypes in STEM. The campaign will highlight the broad range of jobs and careers available, using the #EverydayScientist hashtag to promote awareness on social media channels.

With the campaign targeting diversity awareness, it will explore ethnic minorities working in STEM as well as gender stereotypes, and more widely, the desire to create a more inclusive working sector.

As the number of women in STEM careers is set to reach one million in 2020, it is clear that women will play a major role in the future of these industries. Already, women make up around 30% of the world’s researchers, and the rise of new and more varied courses will only bolster this development.