Engineers Canada is proud to once again join organizations, groups, governments and individuals around the world in celebrating International Women’s Day, which recognizes the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.
Engineers Canada is proud to once again join organizations, groups, governments and individuals around the world in celebrating International Women’s Day, which recognizes the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.
International Women’s Day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity, and the theme of this year’s celebration, #BeBoldForChange, calls on people worldwide to help forge a more gender-inclusive world by taking groundbreaking action that truly drives the greatest change for women.
“Today, we celebrate the many contributions that women engineers have made—and continue to make—to their communities, to their country, to the world and to the profession,” said Engineers Canada’s Interim CEO Stephanie Price, P.Eng., CAE. “Canada has a rich history of women who have boldly forged new paths in engineering, including Elsie MacGill, Ursula Franklin, Claudette MacKay-Lassonde and Julie Payette, amongst others.
“As we celebrate their accomplishments, we challenge all stakeholders to likewise #BeBoldForChange and consider how they can encourage even more women to follow in the footsteps of these pioneering engineers and to join the engineering profession.”
Women currently account for only 12.5 per cent of professional engineers. But through purposeful collaboration and valuable partnerships, Engineers Canada is dedicated to increasing the participation of women in the engineering profession by identifying initiatives that attract greater numbers of women to engineering, promoting their retention in the profession and demonstrating the value of diversity and inclusivity in engineering education and in the workplace.
“Globally, diversity has proven valuable for innovation, creativity and economic competitiveness,” said Jeanette M. Southwood, M.A.Sc., FCAE, FEC, P.Eng., Engineers Canada’s Vice-President of Strategy and Partnerships. “We encourage each one of us to be a leader within our own spheres of influence to boldly build a more inclusive world.”
For its part, Engineers Canada, in collaboration with the 12 provincial and territorial engineering regulators, has committed to raising the percentage of newly licensed engineers who are women to 30 per cent by the year 2030. Achieving this 30 by 30 goal will be vital to the engineering profession, and Engineers Canada has called on likeminded stakeholders and organizations to make significant progress in increasing the number of women in engineering, whether it be in academic programs, places of employment, or other areas.
Engineers Canada work in support of the 30 by 30 goal and diversity in the engineering profession includes a wide range of activities:
- Engineers Canada’s Sustainable Profession Committee, composed of knowledge experts, advises on the initiatives related to women in engineering.
- Engineers Canada, in partnership with Geoscientists Canada, has published a resource planning guide that outlines best practices for employees and employers managing maternity or parental leave in the engineering and geoscience professions. Managing Transitions: Before, During and After Leave will go a long way to creating welcoming workplaces with good leave practices that will retain talented employees within the profession.
- Engineers Canada presents an annual Award for the Support of Women in the Engineering Profession to individuals who have contributed to the advancement of women in the profession.
- Engineers Canada supports and contributes to research projects that aim to identify and reduce the barriers faced by women in the engineering profession, including the SSHRC-funded Engendering Engineering Success project.
- Engineers Canada is a proud member of the Canadian Coalition of Women in Engineering, Science, Trades and Technology (CCWESTT), a national coalition of groups that promotes women in science, engineering, trades and technology, celebrates their contributions, and unites a vision for these fields.
