2022: Celebrating Women in Civil Engineering

Despite the fight for equality, we are still seeing a gender gap in civil engineering careers with women making up just 16.5% of all engineers and civil engineering degree statistics showing that women only account for 20.8% of UK undergraduates.  


Why is civil engineering so male-dominated?  

Gender stereotypes and biases play their part. Whether it’s the idea of women being brought up to believe they can’t do maths like other STEM subjects, or something being deemed as a ‘man’s job’, all contribute to barriers that make women feel like they can’t enter a particular industry. Therefore, this means that there are fewer female role models in civil engineering, who can encourage more girls to pursue a career in the profession.  

Another reason why traditionally, there have been fewer women in civil engineering is because of the physical endurance that the industry used to demand. However, this is where advancing technology should be starting to bridge the gender gap. This is because with more roles being done with technological assistance, this barrier for women to enjoy a civil engineering career should no longer exist.  

Nevertheless, there are women succeeding in civil engineering careers, they just need greater exposure to help the industry look more attractive to women in the future. From leading engineering projects to TV appearances, look at some female engineers who are currently inspiring young girls to follow and become women in civil engineering. 

- Louise Hardy 

Remember the London 2012 Olympics? A tremendous amount of work went into getting the Olympic Park ready; taking up to 3 years to construct. Well, how about knowing that this huge civil engineering project was managed by a woman?  

From being the non-executive director, of infrastructure organisations, Louise Hardy has been responsible for some of the UK’s most fascinating projects, including the £2 billion portfolio for the London Olympic Park.  

- Dawn Childs  

Do you love your holidays? Ever flown from Gatwick Airport? Dawn Childs was the first female head of engineering at Britain’s second biggest airport. She was also the very first female engineer to take up multiple positions in the Royal Air Force. She has also been responsible for overseeing the governance and standards of over 120 theme parks and attractions. Essentially, Dawn is a prime example of the fact that not only can women in civil engineering take up senior positions and become successful, but also that a career in civil engineering can be fun. 

These days, she is an advocate for STEM learning, and she plays an active role in being a role model for girls to start their journey towards a civil engineering career; it isn’t just for men! 

- Dr Priti Parikh  

Being an associate professor at University College London and the Head of Engineering for the International Development Centre, Dr Priti Parikh is a prime role model for women in civil engineering. She possesses the global experience of working on major infrastructure projects in both India and the UK before expanding her knowledge by obtaining her PhD in the impact of infrastructure in slumps in India and townships in South Africa. 
 
- Ayo Sokale  

Ayo Sokale is a great advocate for young women in civil engineering. In fact, she has been nominated for The Telegraph’s Top 50 Women in Engineering Under 35, in partnership with the Women’s Engineering Society (WES). From this to being elected as a political candidate in Caversham in 2019, to be a keynote speaker demonstrating her dedication to social causes in her industry, and being an advocate for the importance of black, female, and neurodiverse representation in the industry, she is a great person to look up to if you are looking into a civil engineering degree or are a recent graduate looking to make your mark ion the profession. 

- Roni Savage 

Are you a fan of The Apprentice on BBC One? In addition to founding Jomas Associates, the environmental and engineering specialist company, Roni Savage is most successful for her role in giving business expert, Lord Alan Sugar, advice in the 2019 final. 
 
Want to follow in these women’s footsteps with a civil engineering career? Have a look at how we can help you make a difference to the future of the country’s infrastructure with a civil engineering degree from the University of Bolton.  
Studying BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering  

Did you know that our civil engineering degree courses are one of the oldest, most highly accredited courses at Bolton University? Our dedicated lecturers have been successfully teaching civil engineering for over 40 years and have relevant first-hand experiences in both contracting and consultancy. Not to mention that our courses are also highly recognised by the following institutions:  

- Institution of Civil Engineers 
- Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation  
- Institute of Highway Engineers  
- Institution of Structural Engineers  

As a civil engineering degree student, our students gain the opportunity to benefit from our close industry working relationships, which enable us to offer them excellent placement opportunities. This then gives our students the industry knowledge they need to succeed in an evolving civil engineering industry. Whether our students want to be a civil engineer, CAD technician, design engineer, structural engineer, or site engineer, we have the facilities available to support their career ambitions.  

Are you interested in becoming the next female advocate for civil engineering? Have a look at our BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering course details and start your career journey with the support of the Bolton family. 

Clearing 2022: Civil Engineering 
 
At Bolton University, our civil engineering degree courses are available through Clearing! What does this mean? Well, it means you can secure your place at Bolton and prepare to start your career journey. We believe that to gain the skills you need to succeed, benefitting from more one-to-one lecturer support is essential; and at Bolton, our small class sizes enhance our positive, supportive, and friendly campus; welcome to #UniAsItShouldBe.  
To find out more about applying through Clearing, please get in touch with a member of our team on 01204 903030.  

FREE Study Advice! 

If you still have questions about university life or haven’t yet made up your mind about what university is best for you, then come and meet us! Our on-campus Study Advice Sessions are a great way of getting a feel for our campus for yourself to see if you could imagine calling Bolton home. Not to mention you can also speak to representatives across all our services, where we are happy to help answer any questions you may have. Booking is essential to attend as there are limited places available, so secure your place by clicking here. 

- Friday 19 August – 11am to 4pm   
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Need more help? Feel free to contact us at opendays@bolton.ac.uk or give us a call on 01204 903807.