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International Women in Engineering Day

Donate to the cause and help spread awareness about the amazing opportunities for girls who might have an interest in pursuing a career in engineering.

Jobs & Professions Women65

Marketing angleinferred

Position your organization as a champion of women in STEM by highlighting career pathways, mentorship programs, and diversity initiatives during this UNESCO-backed awareness month.

Relevance 65medium intent

Feature spotlights of women engineers at your company or in your industry
Launch a scholarship or internship program targeting girls interested in engineering careers
Host a virtual panel or webinar celebrating women's engineering achievements and career opportunities
Share employee testimonials from women engineers about their career journeys and impact

History

International Women in Engineering Day was launched for the first time in the UK in 2014 by the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) to celebrate its 95th anniversary. Since that launch, the day has grown enormously over the subsequent years to the point where it received UNESCO patronage in 2016.

In 2017, International Women in Engineering Day became international for the first time due to the interest and enthusiasm developed by the international audience and participants in the previous years.

As an international awareness campaign to raise the profile of women in engineering and focus attention on the amazing career opportunities available to girls in this exciting industry. It celebrates the outstanding achievements of women engineers throughout the world.

The whole point of International Women in Engineering Day is to encourage the growth of women within the engineering sector.

All governmental, educational, institutional and corporate engineering organizations are encouraged to organize events to support the day. Encouraging great opportunities for women in engineering is an important part of this observance, especially since there has been a shortage of access to those with engineering skills in recent years.

Women being encouraged into engineering careers are essential for making the industry entirely inclusive – something which is incredibly important for modern-day businesses – and to be sure that engineering jobs of the future are filled by today’s best and brightest.

This day was founded by the Women’s Engineering Society, a charity which began in 1919 following the end of the First World War, as many women had taken engineering jobs during the conflict and wished to keep working.

The history of women working in engineering, spanning way back to the first World War, is rich and fascinating!

How to celebrate

Celebrate Women’s Achievements

Today, take the time out of your day to read up on some of the incredible things that women have achieved within engineering in the last 100 years. This day celebrates the outstanding achievements of women engineers throughout the world. Taking place annually, it’s your day, so get involved!

Help a Girl Out

If you want to get involved more actively, you can donate to the movement to help get the word out to educational institutions such as schools and colleges that are specifically dedicated to promoting engineering for women and girls.

Share with Others

You can help out by sharing information about the day with your friends. Organization owners can get involved by sponsoring the day, too. Ultimately, the goal of the day is to make sure that the future engineering landscape is built by equal amounts of men and women, so that we may be able to continue to grow and develop together. International Women in Engineering Day Timeline1876Elizabeth Bragg Earns a Civil Engineering DegreeElizabeth Bragg graduates from the University of California, Berkeley, with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and is widely regarded as the first woman in the United States to earn an engineering degree. 1914–1918World War I Expands Women’s Engineering RolesDuring World War I, large numbers of women in Britain move into engineering and munitions work, taking on skilled technical tasks in factories and workshops that had previously been reserved for men. 1919Women’s Engineering Society Is Established in BritainIn the aftermath of World War I, a group of British women including Rachel Parsons and Lady Katharine Parsons found the Women’s Engineering Society to promote women’s continued participation and advancement in engineering. 1927Dorothy Donaldson Buchanan Joins Institution of Civil EngineersDorothy Donaldson Buchanan becomes the first woman admitted as a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers in the United Kingdom, signaling growing professional recognition for women in civil engineering. 1994IEEE Women in Engineering Program BeginsThe Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers creates the IEEE Women in Engineering program as a global network to support women engineers and scientists and to increase their participation in the profession.

Elizabeth Bragg Earns a Civil Engineering Degree

Elizabeth Bragg graduates from the University of California, Berkeley, with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and is widely regarded as the first woman in the United States to earn an engineering degree.

World War I Expands Women’s Engineering Roles

During World War I, large numbers of women in Britain move into engineering and munitions work, taking on skilled technical tasks in factories and workshops that had previously been reserved for men.

Women’s Engineering Society Is Established in Britain

In the aftermath of World War I, a group of British women including Rachel Parsons and Lady Katharine Parsons found the Women’s Engineering Society to promote women’s continued participation and advancement in engineering.

Dorothy Donaldson Buchanan Joins Institution of Civil Engineers

Dorothy Donaldson Buchanan becomes the first woman admitted as a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers in the United Kingdom, signaling growing professional recognition for women in civil engineering.

IEEE Women in Engineering Program Begins

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers creates the IEEE Women in Engineering program as a global network to support women engineers and scientists and to increase their participation in the profession.

FAQ

How many women work as engineers worldwide today?

Reliable global counts are difficult because countries define “engineer” differently, but several patterns are clear. UNESCO estimates that women make up about 28 percent of the overall STEM workforce, and their share in engineering specifically is usually lower than in fields like health or natural sciences. In the United States, women earn around one in five bachelor’s degrees in engineering and hold roughly 15 percent of engineering jobs, while in some countries such as Algeria and Tunisia, women approach or exceed 40 percent of tertiary graduates in engineering-related fields. Overall, women remain underrepresented in most engineering workforces, despite gradual increases in many regions.

Why are women underrepresented in engineering even when girls do well in math and science at school?

Research points less to innate ability and more to social and structural factors. Studies by UNESCO and the U.S. National Academies find that gender stereotypes about who is “naturally technical,” lower expectations from teachers and counselors, limited exposure to female role models, and unwelcoming classroom climates all reduce girls’ interest in engineering pathways. These influences accumulate over time, so even high‑achieving girls may choose other fields or leave engineering programs earlier than their male peers.

What kinds of barriers do women commonly face once they are working in engineering?

Women engineers report a mix of subtle and overt obstacles. National Academies reports and professional bodies describe biased hiring and promotion practices, pay gaps, and workplace cultures where women’s technical expertise is questioned or they are steered toward less technical tasks. Experiences of isolation, harassment, or exclusion from informal networks can further limit access to high‑profile projects. Rigid working hours and weak support for caregiving responsibilities or career breaks also contribute to women leaving engineering at higher rates than men.

Does having more women on engineering teams actually change what gets designed?

Evidence from “gendered innovation” studies suggests that it often does. Analyses by the European Commission and UNESCO show that when women participate in engineering and research, teams are more likely to question default male-biased assumptions and to consider different body sizes, safety needs, and usage patterns. Historical examples such as crash-test dummies based mostly on male bodies or protective equipment sized for men illustrate how homogeneous teams can miss critical design issues. More gender-diverse teams are associated with products, infrastructure, and technologies that better serve a wider range of users.

How does gender diversity in engineering affect innovation and business performance?

Large cross‑industry studies, including engineering‑intensive sectors, consistently find that firms with more gender‑diverse leadership and technical teams are more likely to report higher innovation revenue and above‑average profitability. Research by Boston Consulting Group and McKinsey links diverse leadership teams to greater likelihood of introducing new products and achieving better financial results. Professional engineering organizations also argue that drawing on the full talent pool improves problem‑solving, helping companies address complex technical challenges and skills shortages more effectively.

Are there regions where women participate in engineering at relatively high rates?

Yes. UNESCO data show that women’s participation in engineering varies widely by region and country. In several North African and Middle Eastern countries, such as Algeria and Tunisia, women account for a large share of tertiary graduates in engineering, manufacturing, and construction, in some cases approaching or exceeding parity. Some Eastern European and Central Asian countries also report comparatively high female participation in technical degrees, reflecting long‑standing traditions of women in engineering. By contrast, women form a smaller percentage of engineering graduates and workers in many Western European and North American countries, despite high overall gender equality in education.

What practical steps have been shown to help attract and retain more women in engineering?

Research-based recommendations focus on both education and workplace change. UNESCO and National Academies reports highlight early, stereotype‑free exposure to engineering, access to advanced math and physics, and visible female role models as effective educational measures. In the workplace, structured hiring and promotion criteria, flexible work arrangements, strong anti‑harassment policies, and formal mentoring or sponsorship programs improve retention and progression for women engineers. Organizations that treat gender diversity as a leadership and systems issue, rather than as an individual “fix the women” problem, tend to see more sustainable gains.