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Engineering is often described as one of the most challenging yet rewarding careers in STEM. It offers problem solving, innovation, and the opportunity to build the infrastructure and technologies that shape our world. Yet despite high levels of academic achievement, many women who enter engineering choose to leave the field. The reasons for this are not about capability or interest but about the climate of the industry, the structure of internships, and the culture of workplaces. Understanding why women quit engineering is crucial for building a more inclusive profession.
This article examines the causes, presents data from global studies, and explores strategies to help retain talented women engineers.
The Scale of the Problem
Globally, women remain underrepresented in engineering. According to UNESCO, fewer than 20 percent of engineers worldwide are women. The WISE Campaign in the UK reports that women make up just 16.5 percent of engineers despite being more than half of university graduates overall (WISE Campaign). A 2023 study published in Nature Humanities and Social Sciences Communications confirmed that women continue to leave engineering careers at higher rates than men, especially during early and mid career stages.
Why Women Quit Engineering
Internship Climate
Internships are often the first professional experience for engineering students. For women, these placements can determine whether they see a future in the field. Negative experiences such as being sidelined into administrative tasks, excluded from projects, or exposed to unwelcoming cultures can discourage women before their careers even start. When internships reinforce stereotypes rather than provide genuine training, they push talent away.
Workplace Culture
Engineering remains male dominated in many sectors. Women report being the only female in teams, encountering bias, or facing assumptions about their technical abilities. This sense of isolation can create a hostile environment. Microaggressions, lack of recognition, and exclusion from informal networks all contribute to attrition.
Lack of Advancement Opportunities
Women engineers often experience slower progression compared with male colleagues. They are less likely to be offered high visibility projects or sponsorship that leads to leadership roles. Over time, the absence of career development can make staying in the field feel unsustainable.
Pay Gaps and Recognition
Persistent gender pay gaps discourage women from staying in engineering. When women discover they are paid less than men for similar roles, it undermines motivation and signals undervaluation. Recognition disparities, such as fewer invitations to speak at conferences or lead projects, compound the issue.
Work Life Balance
Engineering roles can involve demanding hours, travel, or relocation. Without flexible structures, women with caregiving responsibilities often find it difficult to continue. The lack of policies that accommodate diverse life circumstances drives attrition.
Intersectional Barriers
Women of colour, first generation graduates, and those from underrepresented backgrounds face additional hurdles. They may encounter compounded bias and fewer networks of support. This makes leaving engineering more likely even among the most capable.
Data Highlights
Research shows that nearly half of women who enter engineering roles leave by mid career. In the US, women represent only 15 percent of licensed engineers, a statistic examined further in Why Women Leave STEM. In technology related engineering roles, women also leave within the first decade at higher rates than men, as discussed in Retaining Women in Tech. In the United States context, attrition patterns are particularly acute, explored in Why Women Leave STEM in the USA.
The Cost of Attrition
When women quit engineering, the consequences extend beyond individuals. Companies lose skilled professionals, projects lose diversity of thought, and industries lose potential innovation. Economies also lose valuable contributions to infrastructure and technology development. Most importantly, the cycle continues when young women do not see role models in the profession.
Solutions To Retain Women Engineers
Inclusive Internship Programmes
Engineering schools and companies must design internships that provide genuine technical experience and mentorship. Interns should be integrated into meaningful projects and supported by mentors who guide them through the professional landscape. Positive early experiences can solidify commitment to engineering.
Cultural Change
Organisations must actively build inclusive cultures. This includes training to eliminate bias, accountability systems for equity, and peer networks where women engineers can connect. A culture that values diversity creates conditions for retention.
Sponsorship and Visibility
Mentorship is valuable but sponsorship is transformative. Senior leaders who actively advocate for women engineers, promote them for leadership roles, and recommend them for high profile projects make a measurable difference. Sponsorship must become standard practice in engineering firms.
Transparent Pay And Promotion
Pay transparency reduces gender gaps and signals fairness. Clear promotion pathways also allow women to see how they can advance. Without these structures, women are left guessing about opportunities and are more likely to leave.
Flexibility And Support
Flexible work options, parental leave, and accommodations for caregiving responsibilities are essential for retention. Engineering organisations that provide these structures retain more women and benefit from continuity of talent.
Building Networks
Professional networks give women engineers support, mentoring, and opportunities. The Women in STEM Network connects members globally, providing career resources, mentoring, and visibility. By joining, women engineers gain not only personal support but collective influence to push for change.
The Role Of Policy
Policy interventions can also make a difference. Governments that enforce equal pay, invest in childcare, and support return to work programmes for engineers improve retention. National initiatives that highlight women engineers in public campaigns also challenge stereotypes and inspire the next generation.
Shifting The Narrative
It is vital to move beyond the narrative that women quit engineering because of personal preferences or lack of resilience. The reality is that systemic barriers and workplace climates push them out. By shifting the narrative, companies and policymakers can focus on solutions rather than blame.
Why Retention Matters
Engineering is central to solving global challenges, from building climate resilient infrastructure to developing clean energy technologies. Losing women engineers reduces the pool of ideas and solutions available. Retaining women is therefore not only an issue of fairness but one of global necessity.
Joining Together For Change
Retaining women engineers requires collective effort. Individuals can seek mentors, advocate for themselves, and connect with networks. Companies can transform workplace cultures, implement sponsorship, and commit to transparency. Policymakers can provide enabling frameworks. Communities like the Women in STEM Network are essential in this effort, offering mentoring, career support, and global visibility.
Conclusion
Women quit engineering not because of lack of ability but because of barriers that make staying in the profession harder than it should be. By addressing culture, internships, pay, and career pathways, and by creating networks of support, the industry can retain more women engineers. Every woman who stays in engineering strengthens the profession and contributes to building a more equitable and innovative future.