Women in Engineering Day: Why Empowering Women is Crucial

International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) marks its twelfth year today, on 23 June 2025.

Organised by the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) since 2014, it recognises the contribution of women across engineering disciplines and aims to build momentum for more inclusive industry pathways.

This year’s theme, #TogetherWeEngineer, focuses on collective action, especially in sectors like energy and data infrastructure, where gender imbalances remain stark.

Shifting the focus from hiring to retention

Women represent just 16.5% of engineers in the UK.

That figure drops below 10% in sectors such as data centres, a key growth area within the wider energy ecosystem.

As infrastructure expands to support digital transformation, AI and energy transition targets, the need for a more inclusive workforce becomes urgent.

The day serves a dual role: promoting engineering to young women and girls while opening space for honest conversations about why women leave the profession at much higher rates.

In energy and engineering fields, discussions often emphasise recruitment. But retention remains a bigger challenge, especially as careers progress.

“Conversations about women in engineering tend to focus on recruitment. But the bigger issue isn’t getting women into the sector - it’s keeping them,” says Aurore Knight, Associate Director at Black & White Engineering.

“That usually comes down to whether the job allows people to stay in the profession during periods of change, particularly around family.

"This isn’t a theoretical concern, it’s something many women face and it has a real impact on retention, particularly mid-career.”

As technical infrastructure scales up, particularly in data centre development, women are still underrepresented in senior positions.

Leadership gaps remain pronounced across engineering-linked sectors, including energy, renewables and digital infrastructure.

Tanya Channing, Chief People and Culture Officer at Pipedrive, adds that talent is not the issue. Rather, access, visibility and culture are.

“Inclusion is a growth driver and a prerequisite for great innovation,” she says. “If we encourage girls and women who love solving puzzles, creating, or improving things to join an engineering field we can engineer a better future together using diverse voices and more equitable outcomes.”

This is why days like INWED still matter, she explains.

It’s an opportunity not just for celebration but for scrutiny – and a chance for industry to renew its approach.

A long-term investment in workforce resilience

Talent pipelines in engineering face long-term challenges – particularly in energy sectors where technical demands and rapid change are shaping a new reality.

Jenny Hadlow, COO at Checkout.com, says sustained progress depends on whether women are given reasons to stay and grow.

“In engineering, the talent pipeline issue is real, but so is the opportunity,” she says. “We need to ensure young women not only enter the field but stay, grow and lead in it.

"That means giving them meaningful roles early in their careers, pairing them with mentors who challenge and support them and creating environments where they feel like they belong.”

Jenny adds: “Progress won’t come from one big initiative. It’s about making small, intentional choices every single day, like ensuring interview panels are balanced, understanding the difference between merit and potential, and inviting internal voices to contribute to discussions that impact them.”

“Ultimately, we don’t just need to hire women into engineering roles, we need to retain and elevate them.

"If we want future CTOs, Heads of Engineering and technical founders that reflect the world we live in, it starts now with how we hire, how we lead and how we back the next generation of women in engineering.”

In sectors like data centres – where energy, hardware and digital converge – the gender gap is especially persistent.

A 2023 Uptime Institute study found that just 8% of data centre teams are made up of women, a figure that has seen little movement in five years.

For Aurore, talking directly to those entering the field is key.

“When I talk to younger people considering engineering, especially women, I try not to oversimplify it. If you’re someone who likes solving problems and figuring out how things operate, it’s a good fit.

“The skills you develop, particularly around analysis and structured problem solving, are useful across a lot of sectors, even if you don’t stay in a traditional engineering role forever.

It’s a solid foundation that opens doors in all kinds of industries.”

Energy, flexibility and the future of engineering

As energy-linked industries adapt to digital transformation, new complexity is emerging – from decarbonisation targets to managing AI systems and advanced analytics.

For many, that makes energy a more dynamic career option, but it also increases the pressure on talent strategies.

“In building services, particularly data centres, the landscape is constantly shifting,” Aurore explains.

“The technical side is challenging, but the pace is what sets it apart. There’s also a heightened focus on sustainability and energy efficiency, which is changing the way we approach everything from cooling systems to materials.”

Aurore wants to see more flexibility built into the profession, especially when it comes to defining success.

“Full-time, uninterrupted careers aren’t the only valid model," she says. "Hybrid and flexible working should be part of the standard offer, not just for women, but for anyone with responsibilities or commitments outside the office.

“It’s also what younger engineers are increasingly looking for – people coming into the industry now often expect flexibility as a baseline, not a bonus.”

She argues that, to retain skilled engineers, employers must accept that working patterns no longer fit into narrow definitions.

“If you want to retain skilled engineers, you have to recognise that life doesn’t always fit neatly around a 9-to-5. When you make that adjustment, you actually gain productivity.”

Tanya points to the shift brought by AI as a critical moment for inclusion: “The rapid evolution of AI transforms how we build, test and optimise, creating new opportunities for us to shape the future.

“It’s levelling barriers by valuing skills like data literacy, ethical reasoning and interdisciplinary collaboration. These are areas where diverse perspectives are essential. For women entering or advancing in engineering, this means a broader range of entry points and faster career mobility, especially in AI-focused roles like machine learning ops, prompt engineering, or responsible AI governance.”

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