Women have played a role in
engineering
Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...
in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
for hundreds of years, despite the various societal barriers facing them. In the 18th and 19th century, there were few formal training opportunities for women to train as engineers and frequently women were introduced to engineering through family companies or their spouses. Some women did have more formal educations in the late 19th century and early 20th century, normally in mathematics or science subjects.
There are several examples of women filing
patent
A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A ...
s in the 19th century, including
Sarah Guppy
Sarah Guppy, née Beach (5 November 1770 – 24 August 1852) was an English inventor and the first woman to patent a bridge, in 1811. She developed a range of other domestic and marine products.
Following the publication of an erroneous entry ...
,
Henrietta Vansittart and
Hertha Ayrton
Phoebe Sarah Hertha Ayrton (28 April 1854 – 26 August 1923) was a British engineer, mathematician, physicist and inventor, and suffragette. Known in adult life as Hertha Ayrton, born Phoebe Sarah Marks, she was awarded the Hughes Medal by the ...
.
During the first two decades of the 20th century new opportunities arose for women to go to university and earn degrees
and there were increasing numbers of women studying maths and physics at universities across the UK. The job opportunities for women opened up by
World War
A world war is an international conflict which involves all or most of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World WarI (1914 ...
I meant many women were trained in various forms of engineering. In 1919, the
Women's Engineering Society (WES) was founded to protect these jobs for women, which, once the war ended, were handed back to the men returning from the front, as decreed by the
Restoration of Pre-War Practices Act (1919).
The 1920s and 30s produced many successful women engineers, who were able to forge careers for themselves in various fields, including aeronautical, automotive and electrical engineering.
Many of these women were members of WES.
19th century
Inventors and engineers in the early 19th century in the UK include
Sarah Guppy
Sarah Guppy, née Beach (5 November 1770 – 24 August 1852) was an English inventor and the first woman to patent a bridge, in 1811. She developed a range of other domestic and marine products.
Following the publication of an erroneous entry ...
, the first woman in the UK to patent a bridge.
Later in the 19th century, there are more examples of women patenting inventions and practising as engineers. Naval engineer
Henrietta Vansittart, who was introduced to engineering by her father
James Lowe, contributed to naval engineering and held patents across the world for the Lowe-Vansittart propeller.
Similarly, another naval engineer,
Blanche Thornycroft
Blanche Coules Thornycroft (21 December 1873 – 30 December 1950) was a British naval architect. She was not formally recognised in her lifetime but her role as an "assistant" is now better credited.
Life
Thornycroft was born in 1873 in Hammers ...
, found her way into engineering through a family connection.
She worked as part of her father's engineering business on the Isle of Wight.
Electrical engineer and physicist,
Hertha Ayrton
Phoebe Sarah Hertha Ayrton (28 April 1854 – 26 August 1923) was a British engineer, mathematician, physicist and inventor, and suffragette. Known in adult life as Hertha Ayrton, born Phoebe Sarah Marks, she was awarded the Hughes Medal by the ...
, was the first woman admitted to the IEE (the Institution of Electrical Engineers, now the
IET __NOTOC__
IET can refer to:
Organizations
* Institute of Educational Technology, part of the Open University
* Institution of Engineering and Technology, a UK-based professional engineering institution
** Institute of Engineers and Technicians, wh ...
), the premier British electrical engineering profession institution, in recognition of her work on electrical arc lighting.
Many women in this era were collaborators in engineering projects with their husbands. The effort to electrify the home in the late 19th century involved many women, including
Alice Mary Gordon
Alice Mary Gordon (22 October 1854 – 18 June 1929) was a British author and writer on the aesthetics of domestic electricity. During her life she was known by her husbands' names, making her ''Alice Gordon'' or ''Mrs J E H Gordon'' as well as ' ...
, who wrote a book called ''Decorative Electricity'', which included a section detailing life as an engineering spouse.
Katharine Parsons worked with her husband
Sir Charles Parsons
Sir Charles Algernon Parsons, (13 June 1854 – 11 February 1931) was an Anglo-Irish engineer, best known for his invention of the compound steam turbine, and as the eponym of C. A. Parsons and Company. He worked as an engineer on ...
on the
steam turbine engine and later founded the
Women's Engineering Society
The Women's Engineering Society is a United Kingdom professional learned society and networking body for women engineers, scientists and technologists. It was the first professional body set up for women working in all areas of engineering, pred ...
.
Margaret, Lady Moir
Margaret, Lady Moir, OBE (née Margaret Bruce Pennycook) (10 January 18645 October 1942) was a Scottish lathe operator, engineer, a workers' relief organiser, an employment campaigner, and a founder member of the Women's Engineering Society (W ...
described herself as an "engineer by marriage" through her relationship with
Ernest Moir. Several of the women who went on to be founding members of WES were also involved in the women's suffrage movement, including Katharine Parsons and her daughter,
Rachel Parsons, Lady Moir,
Laura Annie Willson (who was arrested twice for suffragette activities
) and
Caroline Haslett
Dame Caroline Harriet Haslett DBE, JP (17 August 1895 – 4 January 1957) was an English electrical engineer, electricity industry administrator and champion of women's rights.
She was the first secretary of the Women's Engineering Society a ...
.
Early 20th century
The 1911 census recorded no woman listing her profession as an engineer.
However, at the start of the 20th century in the UK, there were greater opportunities for women to study at university and there were more instances of women studying for degrees in physics, mathematics, and engineering subjects.
Nina Cameron Graham
Nina Cameron Walley (''née'' Graham; 11 March 1891-24 March 1974) was the first woman to receive an engineering degree in Britain.
Early life and education
Nina Cameron Graham was born in Liscard, Cheshire to Mary Cameron Graham (née Slater ...
graduated from
University of Liverpool
, mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning
, established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...
in 1912 with a degree in Civil Engineering, the first British woman to qualify as an engineer. She married a fellow student and moved to Canada. Electrical Engineer and businesswoman
Margaret Partridge
Margaret Mary Partridge (8 April 1891 – 27 October 1967) was an electrical engineer, contractor and founder member of the Women's Engineering Society (WES) and the Electrical Association for Women (EAW). Her business worked with WES to identif ...
studied maths at
Bedford College, graduating in 1914. Aeronautical engineer
Hilda Lyon
Hilda Margaret Lyon, MA, MSc, AFRAeS (31 May 1896 – 2 December 1946) was a British engineer who invented the "Lyon Shape", a streamlined design used for airships and submarines.
Early life and education
Lyon was born in 1896 in Market We ...
went to study maths at
Newnham College
Newnham College is a women's constituent college of the University of Cambridge.
The college was founded in 1871 by a group organising Lectures for Ladies, members of which included philosopher Henry Sidgwick and suffragist campaigner Millice ...
, Cambridge in 1915. Many women attended
Loughborough College
Loughborough College is a general further education college located in Leicestershire, England which offers a range of courses including further education, higher education, apprenticeships and professional qualifications.
List of princip ...
(now University), which admitted the first cohort of women engineers in 1919, including mechanical engineer
Verena Holmes
Verena Winifred Holmes (23 June 1889 – 20 February 1964) was an English mechanical engineer and multi-field inventor, the first woman member elected to the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (1924) and the Institution of Locomotive Engineers ...
and engineer, writer and traveller
Claudia Parsons
Claudia Sydney Maia Parsons (15 August 1900 – 5 June 1998) was a British engineer, writer and traveller. One of the first three women to graduate as engineers in England, she also wrote several books and was the first woman to circumnavigate th ...
.
Georgina Kermode's career as socialite, suffragette, metallurgist and serial patentee (in particular the first successful postage stamp selling machines), seems to have emerged from her early marriage to an engineer, whom she soon left behind.
Many women gained engineering experience during
World War One
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. As men were away fighting, jobs in factories had to be filled by women. Women in engineering such as
Dorothée Pullinger,
Rachel Parsons,
Margaret Dorothea Rowbotham
Margaret Dorothea Rowbotham (19 June 1883 – 23 February 1978) was an engineer, a campaigner for women's employment rights and a founder member of the Women's Engineering Society.
Early life and education
Born on 19 June 1883 at 6 Park Villas, ...
and
Laura Annie Willson all learned important aspects of their trades through working during World War One, particularly in the production of munitions.
Recognition of the roles naval architects
Blanche Thornycroft
Blanche Coules Thornycroft (21 December 1873 – 30 December 1950) was a British naval architect. She was not formally recognised in her lifetime but her role as an "assistant" is now better credited.
Life
Thornycroft was born in 1873 in Hammers ...
,
Eily Keary
Eily Keary (later Eily Smith-Keary) (12 October 1892 – 19 October 1975) was a British naval architect, mechanical engineer and aeronautical engineer. She was one of the earliest female associates of the Institution of Naval Architects (now the ...
, and Rachel Parsons played was recognised on 9 April 1919 when they became the first three women to be admitted as associate members by the
Royal Institution of Naval Architects
The Royal Institution of Naval Architects (also known as RINA) is an international organisation representing naval architects. It is an elite international professional institution based in London. Its members are involved worldwide at all levels ...
, Keary having been the first woman to contribute a paper in the institution's transactions in 1916.
Once the war was over, these jobs were threatened by the
Restoration of Pre-War Practices Act (1919), which stated that the jobs women filled had to be handed back to the men returning from the front.
Another act of parliament later in 1919 attempted to improve women's professional and educational rights. The
Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919
The Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom. It became law when it received Royal Assent on 23 December 1919.''Oliver & Boyd's new Edinburgh almanac and national repository for the year 1921''. p. 213 ...
received
Royal Assent
Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in oth ...
on 23 December 1919. The act enabled women to join the professions and professional bodies (including those representing the engineering professions), to sit on juries and be awarded degrees:
"''A person shall not be disqualified by sex or marriage from the exercise of any public function, or from being appointed to or holding any civil or judicial office or post, or from entering or assuming or carrying on any civil profession or vocation, or for admission to any incorporated society (whether incorporated by Royal Charter or otherwise)...''"
It was an enabling act, not an enforcing one, but did open the doors of the professional engineering institutions to women who could earn the qualifications and had the professional experience required to pass the entry examinations.
The founding of the Women's Engineering Society
The
Women's Engineering Society
The Women's Engineering Society is a United Kingdom professional learned society and networking body for women engineers, scientists and technologists. It was the first professional body set up for women working in all areas of engineering, pred ...
- the first of its kind in the world - was founded on 23 June 1919 to protect the jobs that women had gained during World War One and to continue promoting the place of women in engineering.
Seven woman signed the foundation documents:
Eleanor Shelley-Rolls
Eleanor Georgiana Shelley-Rolls (9 October 1872 – 15 September 1961) was one of the original signatories of the Women's Engineering Society founding documents. She was a keen hot air balloonist.
Early life
Rolls was born in Mayfair, London ...
,
Margaret, Lady Moir
Margaret, Lady Moir, OBE (née Margaret Bruce Pennycook) (10 January 18645 October 1942) was a Scottish lathe operator, engineer, a workers' relief organiser, an employment campaigner, and a founder member of the Women's Engineering Society (W ...
,
Laura Annie Willson,
Margaret Rowbotham,
Katharine Parsons,
Rachel Parsons and
Janetta Mary Ornsby.
The first Secretary appointed was
Caroline Haslett
Dame Caroline Harriet Haslett DBE, JP (17 August 1895 – 4 January 1957) was an English electrical engineer, electricity industry administrator and champion of women's rights.
She was the first secretary of the Women's Engineering Society a ...
, who had trained as a boiler-maker during World War One, and was later made a Dame for her services to industry and business. The United States equivalent, the
Society of Women Engineers (SWE), was founded in 1950.
Inter war period
Through these new opportunities, the 1920s and 1930s in the UK were an active time for women in engineering and WES. In 1923
Elsie Louisa Winterton, a draughtswoman working for the
Great Western Railway (GWR) became the first woman member of the
Institution of Railway Signal Engineers
The Institution of Railway Signal Engineers (IRSE) is a worldwide professional body for all those engaged or interested in railway signalling and telecommunications (S&T) and allied disciplines.
Local sections
The IRSE is based in London, with ...
.
In 1924, members of WES, including Caroline Haslett, Margaret Moir and Margaret Partridge founded the
Electrical Association for Women
The Electrical Association for Women (EAW) was a feminist and educational organisation founded in Great Britain in 1924 to promote the benefits of electricity in the home.
History
The Electrical Association for Women developed in 1924 from a p ...
. This association aimed to educate women about electricity, providing courses in Electrical Housecraft and demonstrations at electrical showrooms. It published ''The Electrical Handbook for Women'', a guide to electricity, which was re-issued (though with different names) until 1983. That same year, engineering project manager
Kathleen M. Butler travelled to London to set up the project offices for the
Sydney Harbour Bridge
The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge in Sydney, spanning Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour from the Sydney central business district, central business district (CBD) to the North Shore (Sydney), North Shore. The view of the bridg ...
team at
Dorman Long, at the same time that
Dorothy Donaldson Buchanan
]
Dorothy Donaldson Buchanan, married name Fleming (8 October 1899 in Dumfriesshire – 13 June 1985 in Somerset) was a Scottish civil engineer, and the first female member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, successfully passing the instituti ...
started work at the company.
In July 1925 the First International Conference of Women in Science, Industry & Commerce was held in London, during the
British Empire Exhibition
The British Empire Exhibition was a colonial exhibition held at Wembley Park, London England from 23 April to 1 November 1924 and from 9 May to 31 October 1925.
Background
In 1920 the British Government decided to site the British Empire Exhibi ...
. It was organised by Caroline Haslett & WES, and opened by the
Duchess of York in her first public engagement since her marriage into the royal family. Chaired by
Lady Astor
Nancy Witcher Langhorne Astor, Viscountess Astor, (19 May 1879 – 2 May 1964) was an American-born British politician who was the first woman seated as a Member of Parliament (MP), serving from 1919 to 1945.
Astor's first husband was America ...
, the first woman MP to take her seat in the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
, its speakers and attendee list represented key figures in the suffrage and women's rights movements in Britain and abroad, including
Millicent Fawcett
Dame Millicent Garrett Fawcett (née Garrett; 11 June 1847 – 5 August 1929) was an English politician, writer and feminist. She campaigned for Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, women's suffrage by Law reform, legal change and in 1897– ...
,
Viscountess Rhondda,
Kerstin Hesselgren
Kerstin Hesselgren (14 January 1872 – 19 August 1962) was a Swedish politician.
Hesselgren became the first woman to be elected into the Upper House of the Swedish Parliament after female suffrage was introduced in 1921. She was elected by sug ...
the first woman elected to Upper House of the Swedish parliament and American engineer
Ethel H. Bailey.
Also in 1925,
Annette Ashberry was the first woman to be elected to the UK
Society of Engineers and delivered the first address by a woman to the Society's members on 1 November 1926.
Careers developed in companies such as
Metropolitan Vickers in Manchester, where engineer
Gertrude Entwisle worked for her entire career. In 1927,
Dorothy Donaldson Buchanan
]
Dorothy Donaldson Buchanan, married name Fleming (8 October 1899 in Dumfriesshire – 13 June 1985 in Somerset) was a Scottish civil engineer, and the first female member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, successfully passing the instituti ...
successfully passed the admission examination to become the first female member of the
Institution of Civil Engineers
The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) is an independent professional association for civil engineers and a charitable body in the United Kingdom. Based in London, ICE has over 92,000 members, of whom three-quarters are located in the UK, whi ...
.
In 1929
Winifred Hackett was the first woman to graduate in electrical engineering from the University of Birmingham. By the 1950s Hackett was head of the Guided Weapons Division at aerospace and defence company
English Electric.
In 1934, pilot and engineer
Amy Johnson
Amy Johnson (born 1 July 1903 – disappeared 5 January 1941) was a pioneering English pilot who was the first woman to fly solo from London to Australia.
Flying solo or with her husband, Jim Mollison, she set many long-distance records du ...
became the youngest president of WES, serving under her married name of 'Mrs Jim Mollison', four years after becoming the first woman to fly solo from the UK to Australia. That same year,
Jeanie Dicks, the first female member of the
Electrical Contractors Association, was responsible for the first permanent electrification of
Winchester Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity,Historic England. "Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity (1095509)". ''National Heritage List for England''. Retrieved 8 September 2014. Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Swithun, commonly known as Winches ...
. A register of members from 1935 shows the international membership of WES and the variety of different women who were members.
Before World War Two, German Jewish engineer
Ira Rischowski
Ira (Irene) Rischowski (1 August 1899 – 1989) was one of Germany's first female engineers and active in the German anti-Nazi resistance group Neu Beginnen before fleeing to Britain. In the UK she became a member of the Women's Engineering Socie ...
took refuge in the United Kingdom, becoming a member of WES, having already been in correspondence with them at the start of the War.
Because of her German heritage, she was interned as an
enemy alien
In customary international law, an enemy alien is any native, citizen, denizen or subject of any foreign nation or government with which a domestic nation or government is in conflict and who is liable to be apprehended, restrained, secured and ...
at the Rushen camp on the Isle of Wight but returned to an engineering career once freed in 1942. In 1938,
Marja Ludwika Ziff (later known as Maria Watkins) became the first woman to study electrical engineering at the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
, the professor who had offered her a place believing her application was from a Polish man. She later became a defence engineer and university lecturer.
World War Two
Women continued to play an active role in engineering in
World War Two
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
and WES were vocal about promoting women's place in industry. Women proved once again their ability to take on roles seen as exclusively for men, while women with formal training in engineering from before the War were able to demonstrate their innovative capacity. Aeronautical engineer
Beatrice Shilling, for example, engineered the
RAE restrictor for use in Hurricane and Spitfire planes, which had previously been failing during air battle.
Isabel Hardwich,
electrical engineer and
photometry Photometry can refer to:
* Photometry (optics), the science of measurement of visible light in terms of its perceived brightness to human vision
* Photometry (astronomy), the measurement of the flux or intensity of an astronomical object's electro ...
expert joined the
Metropolitan-Vickers Electrical Company Ltd. in Manchester in 1941, and later became supervisor of technical women within their Research Department, as well as a president of WES.
Post-war, Cold War and second wave feminism
Although women who had gained engineering opportunities in both industry and the forces during World War Two were forced out of those positions in an almost identical situation to that following World War One, there were enough women sufficiently established in senior roles in government research establishments, such as the
Royal Aircraft Establishment,
Building Research Establishment
The Building Research Establishment (BRE) is a centre of building science in the United Kingdom, owned by charitable organisation the BRE Trust. It is a former UK government national laboratory that was privatised in 1997. BRE provides resear ...
and similar, that there continued to be more openings for women. Beatrice Shilling, for instance, remained at the RAE to work on rocket engines and was consulted by NASA on runway surfaces for the future space shuttles. In the same era,
Anne Burns
Anne Burns (23 November 1915 – 22 January 2001) was a British aeronautical engineer and glider pilot. She had a career of nearly 40 years in the Royal Aircraft Establishment as an engineer and an expert in wind shear. As a glider pilot, ...
introduced the use of strain gauges for inflight testing, contributing to solving the reasons for the
Comet airliner crashes of the 1950s.
In 1947
Mary Thompson Irvine became the first woman to be elected a chartered member of the
Institution of Structural Engineers
The Institution of Structural Engineers is a professional body for structural engineering based in the United Kingdom.
The Institution has over 30,000 members operating in over 100 countries. The Institution provides professional accreditation ...
. In the early 1950s
Mary Coombs
Mary Clare Coombs ( Blood, 4 February 1929 – 28 February 2022) was a British computer programmer and schoolteacher. Employed in 1952 as the first female programmer to work on the LEO computers, she is recognised as the first female commercia ...
became the first woman to work on a commercial computer, the
LEO computer. In 1954,
Mary Sudbury became the only female engineer to work on the
wind tunnels
Wind tunnels are large tubes with air blowing through them which are used to replicate the interaction between air and an object flying through the air or moving along the ground. Researchers use wind tunnels to learn more about how an aircraft ...
used for supersonic aircraft testing at RAE, and part of the development of
Concorde
The Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde () is a retired Franco-British supersonic airliner jointly developed and manufactured by Sud Aviation (later Aérospatiale) and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC).
Studies started in 1954, and France an ...
, but still encountered petty
misogyny
Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women. It is a form of sexism that is used to keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the societal roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been widely practice ...
. In 1958
Dorothy Smith, an electrical engineer at
Metropolitan-Vickers
Metropolitan-Vickers, Metrovick, or Metrovicks, was a British heavy electrical engineering company of the early-to-mid 20th century formerly known as British Westinghouse. Highly diversified, it was particularly well known for its industrial el ...
, was awarded Full Membership of the
Institution of Electrical Engineers
The Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) was a British professional organisation of electronics, electrical, manufacturing, and Information Technology professionals, especially electrical engineers. It began in 1871 as the Society of T ...
, the first woman since
Hertha Ayrton
Phoebe Sarah Hertha Ayrton (28 April 1854 – 26 August 1923) was a British engineer, mathematician, physicist and inventor, and suffragette. Known in adult life as Hertha Ayrton, born Phoebe Sarah Marks, she was awarded the Hughes Medal by the ...
in 1899, to reach this level of membership.
In 1962,
Steve Shirley founded software company
Freelance Programmers with a capital of £6, (later FI, then
Xansa, since acquired by
Steria and now part of the Sopra Steria Group). Having experienced
sexism
Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls.There is a clear and broad consensus among academic scholars in multiple fields that sexism refers pri ...
in her workplace, "being fondled, being pushed against the wall", she wanted to create job opportunities for women with dependents, and predominantly employed women, with only three male programmers in the first 300 staff, until the
Sex Discrimination Act 1975
The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (c. 65) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which protected men and women from discrimination on the grounds of sex or marital status. The Act concerned employment, training, education, harassmen ...
made that practice illegal. She also adopted the name "Steve" to help her in the male-dominated business world, given that company letters signed using her real name were not responded to. Her team's projects included programming
Concorde
The Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde () is a retired Franco-British supersonic airliner jointly developed and manufactured by Sud Aviation (later Aérospatiale) and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC).
Studies started in 1954, and France an ...
's black box flight recorder.
In 1967, WES led the organisation of the second
International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists
ICWES (International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists) is an international conference for engineers and scientists. Established in 1964, it takes place every 3–4 years in countries around the world.
Since 1999, the conference has bee ...
, held in
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...
.
The conference was attended by delegates from across the globe, with many international speakers, including from African and Asian countries.
Tidal engineer
Mary Kendrick
Mary Patricia Kendrick MBE born Mary Patricia Boak (2 May 1928 – 8 June 2015) was a British tidal engineer who was an expert on silt. She worked on many projects but she is known for leading a team working on the Thames Barrier. She broke a ...
began leading the team working on the
Thames Barrier
The Thames Barrier is a retractable barrier system built to protect the floodplain of most of Greater London from exceptionally high tides and storm surges moving up from the North Sea. It has been operational since 1982. When needed, it is c ...
in 1968. She later became the first female
Acting Conservator of the River Mersey responsible for keeping the
River Mersey
The River Mersey () is in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it has formed par ...
navigable, a role dating back to 1625.
In 1969,
Shirley Williams
Shirley Vivian Teresa Brittain Williams, Baroness Williams of Crosby, (' Catlin; 27 July 1930 – 12 April 2021) was a British politician and academic. Originally a Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP), she served in the Labour cabinet from ...
MP, then Minister for Education and Science, launched the first ''Women in Engineering Year'' campaign in conjunction with WES to encourage girls and young women to take up engineering as a career.
Although numbers were tiny until the 1970s, increasing numbers of women started to take university degrees and trade qualifications in engineering subjects. It was still a period when a talented person could rise from the technician ranks without a degree, as defence engineer
Joan Lavender was able to do at DeHavillands and engineering software designer
Judy Butland was able to do at Manchester University and then with her own software business. The defence industry, aviation and the emerging computer hardware and software industries were areas when many women found careers at that time. Examples include
Elizabeth Killick, WES presidents
Elizabeth Laverick
Elizabeth Laverick (25 November 1925 – 12 January 2010) was a British engineer who became technical director of Elliott Automation Radar Systems. Laverick was the first female deputy secretary of the Institution of Electrical Engineers (now ...
and
Peggy Hodges and the founder of the UK's first independent commercial software company,
Dina St Johnston.
In 1979 the
Finniston Report into the engineering profession in the United Kingdom was commissioned by the Labour government. This ultimately led to the foundation of the
Engineering Council
The Engineering Council (formerly Engineering Council UK; colloquially known as EngC) is the UK's regulatory authority for registration of Chartered and Incorporated engineers and engineering technician, holding a register of these and providin ...
in 1981, which in its turn collaborated with the
Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) to launch the
Women into Science and Engineering (WISE) year in 1984. Spearheaded by Baroness
Beryl Platt, Chair of the EOC and herself an aeronautical engineer,
WISE aimed to highlight the career opportunities for girls and women in science and engineering professions.
At the time of the launch of WISE, only 7% of engineering graduates in the UK were women.
See also
*
History of women in engineering
The history of women in engineering predates the development of the profession of engineering. Before engineering was recognized as a formal profession, women with engineering skills often sought recognition as inventors. During the Islamic Golden ...
*
Women in engineering
*
List of prizes, medals, and awards for women in engineering
*
African women in engineering
*
Women in technology
*
Women in computing
Women in computing were among the first programmers in the early 20th century, and contributed substantially to the industry. As technology and practices altered, the role of women as programmers has changed, and the recorded history of the fiel ...
*
Women in science
The presence of women in science spans the earliest times of the history of science wherein they have made significant contributions. Historians with an interest in gender and science have researched the scientific endeavors and accomplishments ...
*
Women in the workforce
Since the industrial revolution, participation of women in the workforce outside the home has increased in industrialized nations, with particularly large growth seen in the 20th century. Largely seen as a boon for industrial society, women in ...
References
{{reflist
Women in engineering
History of engineering
History of women in the United Kingdom