International Women In Engineering Day

From a young age I have always been passionate about making a difference and contributing to positive change and so realised that there was a way to accomplish this with Engineering. I started researching a possible career that would allow me to make a direct impact on making the world a better place. In the midst of this, I encountered several stigma's associated with women and girls entering the field of Engineering, primarily how we are consistently discouraged from pursuing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects because it does not fit with the stereotypical image of femininity. 

Unconsciously, boys are pushed towards these subjects and support is rarely given to girls who take an interest in these specialisms. As a result, the unconscious bias we hold against women prevents girls from seeing themselves in these positions, reducing their confidence to actively seek STEM courses and therefore portraying this vast gender imbalance within the field. Thankfully, I never listened to these stigma's and was motivated by them and so here I am today studying Civil Engineering at Swansea University ready to build up 9% of women and 6% of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) people in UK's diverse engineering workforce.

 

I have always been proud of my heritage and culture, I never really thought about the stereotypes that came along with it. However as time passed, not only did I learn about the hindrances I could face as a woman but also as a person of colour. Though it is not common for a woman to be an Engineer, let alone one that is a young british pakistan born girl, I was determined to recognise the power of being different, and embrace my uniqueness in an effort to encourage and motivate other young women into STEM related fields where diversity meets inclusion. 

We need to promote the training of the next generation of scientists and engineers and loose the stigma behind female engineers, this is why International Women in Engineering Day is important, to celebrate the unique contribution that women bring to the industry!! ultimately calling all women to #ShapeTheWorld

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