The global survey is designed to gather direct input from across the sector to understand current barriers to achieving equality and further reduce discriminatory practices in the workplace while outlining a vision for the future. The survey results will be announced in September 2022.
Dianne Kibbey, Global Head of Community and Social Media at element14, comments: "This year we've added new questions that cover key themes highlighted in our previous surveys. While it's clear our industry is moving in the right direction, there's still much work to be done. We also want to uncover even more amazing success stories from women who are achieving great things in our sector."
The 2021 global survey included 370 participants. Respondents were mostly between 25 and 54 years old, and slightly more than half reported having over 10 years of experience in the electronics engineering sector. The survey showed that while women in engineering receive support from all genders, they remain underrepresented overall and face varying degrees of discrimination. The
2021 research also highlighted that all respondents believe the most important goal for the modern workforce is achieving gender equality. This year's survey will be a key indicator of whether that positive trend has continued.
These are some other key findings from Farnell’s 2021 Global Survey on Women in Engineering:
• All genders share similar views on the benefits women bring to the engineering sector and believe that addressing inequality is essential.
Promoting more women to leadership roles where they can act as role models and mentors to other women will strengthen the implementation of equality policies and reduce inequality and sexism in the workplace.
• The research showed strong consensus on many issues but also revealed some key differences. Although women cite good salaries as a benefit of working in engineering, they still believe the gender pay gap remains a problem.
• A significant finding was that women are less concerned about the need to travel for work than other genders believe. Only 15% of women surveyed suggested that reducing travel would be beneficial to their work-life balance and career prospects, compared to 25% of other respondents who believed this to be true. This response suggests a further reduction in a perceived barrier to women's advancement in engineering careers.
There was an overwhelming response from all genders encouraging women to have more confidence in themselves and their abilities and to embrace the challenge of working in engineering. Key factors motivating women to pursue engineering careers include the opportunity to work on diverse projects, participate in the development of next-generation technology, and establish and enhance a healthy work-life balance.
