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Last week (8 March), International Women’s Day saw the world celebrate outstanding female achievement, raise awareness about discrimination and take action to forge gender parity. The global movement is quickly becoming one of the most important dates in the calendar, with businesses around the globe pledging their unwavering support.
This year’s theme, #AccelerateAction, emphasised the importance of taking swift and decisive steps to achieve gender equality. It called for increased momentum and urgency in addressing the systemic barriers and biases that women face, both in their personal and professional spheres.
The movement called for businesses to acknowledge strategies, resources and activities that positively impact women’s advancement, as well as supporting and elevating their implementation. While significant barriers to gender equality still remain, International Women’s Day demonstrates that – with the right action and support – positive progress can be made for women everywhere.
Following the day, we spoke with Delme Winson, EMC engineer; and Ellie Bartram, electronic design apprentice, both from British renewable energy tech manufacturer myenergi, to understand their views on gender equality in the engineering sector and to discuss their ideas for encouraging more women to consider roles within the industry.
Delme, coming to you first, can you tell us about your role at myenergi and what attracted you to the sector?
“In my role as an EMC engineer, I work with a talented team to prepare, test, sample and document the electromagnetic compatibility performance of our products. While I’ve worked with businesses in other vertical markets, the renewable energy technology space was completely new to me when I joined the myenergi team back in 2023.
“What really stood out to me was the speed of progress in the industry and the opportunities to grow. I’m passionate about furthering my career in a sector that doesn’t stand still, so working in such an ambitious area was a really exciting opportunity.
What are your thoughts on gender equality in engineering? What are your experiences at myenergi?
“During my career, I’ve seen notable progress made towards tackling gender parity. Engineering has historically been a heavily male dominated sector, but it really feels as though things are changing.
“Working at a business like myenergi demonstrates this first hand. A career in engineering doesn’t have to mean demanding hours and low work-life balance. Modern roles offer the flexibility to excel in a way that really works for everyone.
“Despite working with a male dominated team, I feel that my voice is heard. It’s a welcoming atmosphere, there is real team feel to things and gender doesn’t come into the equation. Yes, my work is challenging, but myenergi makes it possible to take it in my stride – I don’t feel limited, I feel empowered.
What could the industry do to help accelerate further action? Are awareness days like International Women’s Day valuable?
“Global movements like IWD are key to raising awareness and encouraging positive change, but one day isn’t enough – we need consistent action if we’re serious about accelerating action. It’s also important to celebrate successes and demonstrate change. We need to show that the balance is shifting to inspire confidence.
“We also need to offer more internships, encourage early carrier programmes and collaborate with colleges and universities to encourage more women to consider a role within the sector. We need to demonstrate how rewarding a career in engineering can be.”
How does this reflect your own experiences, Ellie?
“Having joined myenergi as an electronic design apprentice, I’m quite new in the role and in the industry as well, but I really do agree with Delme. Everyone sees the engineering sector as ‘just men’, but things are changing.
“Being honest, it was pretty daunting coming into the industry. You hear a lot of stories about it being a man’s world and I was worried that I simply wouldn’t fit in. But this couldn’t have been further from the truth.
“At myenergi, in particular, everyone is seen as equal. I feel valued and heard, despite only being a short way into my career. Of course, I work with a lot of men, but I get on really well with them – it’s not competitive or challenging, it’s a team feel. People support each other, people encourage each other, people listen to each other. It’s a nice environment to work in.
“It’s also really inspiring to see so many women working in senior roles. Both our head of tech support and head of HR are women. Our head of finance is a woman. The business was co-founded by a woman. It doesn’t feel like a business where being a woman holds you back.”
What about the wider industry? Does it feel like we’re still behind the pace when it comes to gender parity?
“As a traditionally male dominated sector, the industry is obviously still behind where it should be, but it has further to go. I think movements like International Women’s Day are important to inspire change, but also to give recognition to female leaders who are doing something really special.
“We have to celebrate each other, we have to champion each other and we need to encourage each other. This is an important part of breaking the glass ceiling.”
From Delme and Ellie’s experiences, it’s positive to see that there’s a feeling of progress and momentum – within the renewable energy tech space at least. While neither the industry or myenergi purport to being perfect, there’s definitely ambition and traction visible.
As a business community, we all need to be striving for change. We need to rip up the rule book and start again. We need to be thinking about value, work/life balance and treating each person as an individual, not a number or a stereotype.
We all need to be committed to #AccelerateAction. Collectively, we have the power to do something different and change the future. Progress is key and working together is the only way to achieve it.
