Nearly half of female engineers in Australia say they have experienced discrimination because of their gender, according to a new report.  

In Professionals Australia’s report Women in Engineering: Realising Productivity and Innovation Through Diversity, 47.1% of female respondents reported that they had experienced discrimination on the basis of gender.

The survey also found a gender pay gap, with female engineers’ reported average earnings 89% of their male counterparts. The report authors say the pay differential was due to the concentration of women in roles of lower levels of responsibility, with males being more likely to be employed at higher levels of responsibility.

In addition, the survey found a clear difference in the number of hours of CPD undertaken by male and female respondents, with males reporting an average 38 hours of CPD in the previous 12 months compared with 31 hours for females.

Female respondents to the survey made the following comments in regard to CPD: 

“The professional development sessions at my work are run Monday afternoons between 3 and 5pm which is impossible for me to attend due to carer responsibilities (school pick-up).” 

“Employer will not provide video for viewing in own time though I have asked. My boss did not offer me the company-provided project management training that was offered to many others on equivalent grade to me, saying that I was not a priority as a part-time employee.”

“I am occasionally presented opportunities to attend training etc, however I choose not to take them up as it disrupts family life too much.”

“I’m not even considered when training is offered – I’m pigeon-holed as not being able to make it but I haven’t been offered it.”

The report was based on a survey of 1742 engineers.

Speaking at IPWEA’s recent International Public Works Conference, Dhakshy Sooriyakumaran from the Foundation for Young Australians described her experience with discrimination during her time as civil engineer in Australia.

“I think I was a little bit idealistic going in, and I thought it didn’t impact me,” she recalled.

“Then, as I progressed, I found as soon as I stepped into positions of authority suddenly it wasn’t OK for me to voice my opinions.”

Young IPWEA NSW Chair Nicola Daaboul shared the frustration she felt as a young female in the industry.

“I feel like I had to battle a lot harder to get my opinions heard or to be validated. You come up with really good ideas and they’d be dismissed, then your colleague would put the same idea up and it would be accepted,” she said.

Key results from the report

• 13.1% of the female workforce dropped out between the 20-29 and 30-39 age brackets, compared with a drop of only 1.4% for the male workforce, confirming substantial attrition of the female workforce beyond the 20-29 age bracket.
• Only 30% of female engineer respondents were aged over 40, compared to 42.6% of their male counterparts.
• Only 14.0% of female respondents indicated that they had worked as an engineer for more than 20 years compared with 32.1% of male respondents.
• 47.1% of female respondents reported that they had experienced discrimination on the basis of gender.

The full report is available here.