Online images still
portray engineering as a job for the boys, leading to girls being put off
potentially well-paid and exciting careers, according to new research from
EngineeringUK.
The study, released to mark the start of Engineers
Week 2015 (2-6 November), has found a host of organisations, including
universities, media outlets, search engines are all guilty of reinforcing
engineering stereotypes through their choice of images online. The analysis of
engineering-related imagery from across more than 70 popular websites found:
·
Four in ten (42%) ‘people pictures’ online related to engineering depict women.
·
Stock image sites and search engines are the worst culprits, majorly lagging
behind other sites on gender balance. Image searches for the term “engineer’
found just 26% of search engine results featured women and 25% of stock images
contained female engineers (compared to 85% and 81% of images featuring men).
·
Universities are the best at portraying gender balance in the sector, with 53%
of images including a woman and 80% including a male.
·
One fifth of images feature the stereotypical hard hat - fortifying out-dated
opinions that engineering is only about men in hard hats working on building
sites as opposed to the full range of careers available to young people today.
Supporting research among 11-16 year olds has also revealed
just how influential online imagery can be.
Almost a third (29%) of all those surveyed believe images
used to represent engineering are not relevant to them, with 28% of girls
saying they are too male orientated.
Almost one in ten (7%) girls went so far as to say that
images they’ve seen online have put them off a career in engineering.
Chief Executive of EngineeringUK Paul Jackson said: “If a
picture is worth a thousand words, it is extremely worrying that cyber sexism
is rife when it comes to the depiction of engineers on websites used by young
people.
“Engineers shape the world we live in and are behind many
of the amazing everyday things we take for granted. Engineering isn’t just
about men in hard hats.
“In the next decade employers will need 1.82m people with
engineering skills, meaning we need to double the number of apprentices and
graduates entering the industry. We cannot afford to lose would-be engineers by
carelessly reinforcing stereotypes and not showing the full scope of exciting
careers available.
“As part of Engineers Week 2015, we are calling on all
organisations to look carefully at how they represent engineering and stop
using these out-dated, gender stereotypical pictures.
“We need to inspire, not discourage, young people to
consider engineering as their future career.”
The research also demonstrated that engineering companies
and industry bodies are better than average at demonstrating a gender mix in the
workplace.
Jane
Simpson, chief engineer at Network Rail, commented:
“Our engineers wear hard hats and orange hi-vis to be safe
when they are on track or on site, but they also wear business dress because they
are designers, electronic specialists or project managers where they are
office-based. We are working hard on our website and in careers materials,
to show both sides of the role to reflect this reality and promote the varied
role of an engineer.
“We know role models are crucial to show girls and women
what’s possible and we’re showcasing the
women in our business and the work they do, so others can see people like them
are working successfully in engineering. As the most senior engineer at one of
Britain’s biggest engineering companies I hope I can also inspire others to see
the fantastic opportunities engineering offers.”
A separate study from the Centre for Economics &
Business Research (Cebr) for EngineeringUK goes on to reveal the financial benefits
of becoming an engineer. The new analysis finds the net lifetime earnings
premium associated with doing level 3 apprenticeships in engineering,
manufacturing and technology is approximately £111,900, one of the highest
amongst apprenticeship subject areas.
The study also reveals that total employment in the
engineering sectors is estimated at 5.6 million, representing one in five (17.2
per cent) of all UK jobs.
Engineers Week 2015, now in its third year, will inspire
young people, their parents and teachers through a host of activities based
around the theme ‘Mission Inspiration’. This will include a schedule of
hands-on activities and interactive events and activities run by employers and
engineers. Two young vloggers appointed especially for the Week will also share
exclusive YouTube content
including interviews with inspiring young engineers.