The role of women in engineering
In 2014, the Women’s Engineering Society proclaimed 23 June as International Women in Engineering Day.
Today, we join in this special celebration by highlighting the contribution and work of four of our female colleagues who, as engineers, occupy management and relevant positions within our Engineering and Innovation Consultancy.
Since 2014, the International Day of Women in Engineering has been celebrated every 23 June. It is an appointment marked in the calendar by the Women’s Engineering Society with the aim of highlighting the role of women engineers in different specialties.
Engineering, and therefore the vocation to innovate, is essential for the sustainable development of modern society. In a developed world in which new technologies are acquiring a major role, the work of engineers in their implementation is essential in order to maintain and improve the quality of life of our society.
Despite the recognised value of this discipline, it is a sector that has traditionally had a greater male presence. However, this situation has been changing in recent years so that, according to Eurostat data for the year 2020, 49.5% of people working in engineering and science in Spain are women, a figure that represents an increase of 4.5 points since 2010, when it stood at 45%. Moreover, this proportion of women scientists and engineers places our country above the European Union average (41%), although countries such as Portugal, Lithuania and Denmark are still ahead of us with 52% of women engineers and scientists in the workforce.
We, as Engineering and Innovation Consultancy specialising in the agri-food sector, have four female engineers in relevant positions in our company. Not only in both departments, but also in key corporate positions for the correct functioning of our general structure.
artica+i female engineers in positions of responsibility
Engineering, in different specialities, is the most widespread area of training among our team. More than 70% of our staff are engineers, predominantly agronomists, with a presence in both departments: Engineering and Innovation Consulting.
If we focus on management and responsibility positions within our organisation, there are four female engineers who develop their professional careers in artica+i managing key teams.
They are Encarnación de los Reyes, Director of Corporate Services, Elena Abad, Director of Innovation Consulting, Nuria López, Coordinator of the Technical Engineering Office and Coral Gutiérrez del Anillo, Head of the National Projects and Taxation Area of the Innovation Consulting Department.
At artica+i we are mainly committed to talent, but also to equal opportunities for all. That is why in our company “there are more and more women, very prepared, who are acquiring a more consolidated position, both at managerial and technical level”, as Encarnación de los Reyes states.
And although “women have an increasingly solid position in a traditionally male sector“, as Elena Abad states, we must continue to work to “normalise the presence of women and highlight the contribution of women in engineering”, according to Nuria López.
The future is in the classroom
Although the number of women enrolled and graduated in Spanish universities exceeds that of men, their presence in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) degrees is significantly lower.
In fact, only 29.5% of young Spaniards enrolled in Engineering, Industry and Construction degrees are women. This is reflected in the latest report “Equality in figures” published by the Ministry of Education.
Undoubtedly, due to the leading role being played by new technologies, we are facing a scenario in which scientific and technological careers will be the jobs of the future. Therefore, it is essential to reduce the existing gender gap and “this vocation must be encouraged from the basis of education“, as Coral Gutiérrez del Anillo points out.
