Inspiring girls and women in engineering and technology
8 March
International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global moment to celebrate the achievements of women and champion gender equality. The theme for 2026 is 'Give to gain'. Whether through donations, knowledge, resources, infrastructure, visibility, advocacy, education, training, mentoring, or time, contributing to women's advancement helps create a more supportive and interconnected world.
At EngineeringUK, we’re using the week around IWD to highlight girls’ interest and attainment in STEM, and to spotlight women across engineering and technology. We'll also share practical ways schools, employers and partners can help more girls see engineering as a future for them.
Things to think about
- women are underrepresented in engineering and tech – women make up just 16.9% of the engineering and technology workforce
- girls’ interest is there, but it drops off in pathways – 29% of girls are interested in an engineering career, 23% in technology and 44% in science, yet only 17% of engineering apprentices and 18% of first year undergraduates in engineering and technology are female
- early pipeline stats are mixed – girls make up 12% of engineering and technology T Level students
- strong attainment means strong potential – 64.3% of A level biology entrants and 56% of A level chemistry entrants were female. At Scottish Highers, girls outperformed boys at grade A in 14 of 15 STEM subjects
- STEM activities can shift perceptions – after taking part in EngineeringUK activities, girls report higher enjoyment, confidence and interest. For example, 92% enjoyed The Big Bang Fair, and 70% said it made them more interested in a future job in engineering
Thinking of taking part?
International Women’s Day is great for:
- showcasing female role models from your teams and networks –particularly apprentices, early career professionals and engineers in diverse roles
- inspiring students by linking classroom learning to real engineering and tech careers (assemblies, careers talks, panels, site or office visits)
- sharing evidence based messages using EngineeringUK’s latest gender and workforce stats to bust myths and raise aspirations
- amplifying your impact on social. Use your organisation’s channels to celebrate stories and point to opportunities and pathways
Useful stats and content for International Women's Day
Women in engineering and tech: infographic dashboard
This dashboard includes stats you can use in your IWD activity. It looks at the gender split of STEM education pathways into engineering and technology, and the breakdown of the workforce. It also looks at young people’s perceptions of STEM at school and of STEM careers.
Gender pathways into engineering and technology
We've built a partnership to drive a collective mission to significantly increase the number of girls in education pathways to engineering and technology at age 18. It was set up in response to concerning declines in young girls' interest in science and underrepresentation of women in engineering and tech careers.
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