There are eight times as many men as women trying to get into engineering

Engineering remains one of the least appealing industries for women to get into, with each woman competing against an average of almost eight men for every job that becomes available.

 

A new report by reed.co.uk shows that last year, 90,681 women applied for engineering roles in the UK, compared to 753,263 men. This means women accounted for just 11.5 per cent of all applications during the period.

 

While this might sound a considerable difference, women played a larger role than they did in 2013, and initial 2015 results suggest they are on track to continue increasing their input. 

The report also shows that the pay gap has been going down in the industry, and at a faster rate than the difference in application numbers. It has closed by six per cent over the last two years.  

 

In 2014, men entering engineering roles anticipated earning £33,583, which was four per cent more than the £32,096 women expected to earn. In 2013, the difference was greater with men expecting £31,730 – a tenth more than women's £28,496.

In terms of type of job applied for, women tend to apply to automotive, manufacturing and design roles. 

 

By contrast, computer programming and field engineering come way down on the list, 97 per cent and 96 per cent of applicants being male, respectively.