Equate Scotland

🔍 Why are women leaving engineering—and why it matters

This thought-provoking piece by Jennifer MacDonald highlights a critical challenge across the UK’s engineering sector: women are not only entering and excelling in engineering—but leaving the profession earlier and in growing numbers.

It’s not about attraction or capability. The pipeline is there. The issue lies in what happens next.

At Equate Scotland, we see this every day through our work supporting women in STEM. As highlighted in the article, our recent 20th anniversary report set out clear recommendations to strengthen equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) across the sector—particularly supporting SMEs to take meaningful, practical action.

What stands out is the need to move beyond one-off solutions. This is a systemic challenge:

➡️ Attraction, retention, progression, and workplace culture are all connected
➡️ SMEs and large organisations face different realities—and need tailored support
➡️ Existing tools and expertise (including ours!) must be made more accessible and actionable

The loss of experienced women in engineering isn’t just an equality issue, it has real implications for innovation, productivity, and the future of the sector.

As we reflect during , it’s clear: meaningful change will require aligned effort, shared responsibility, and sustained action across the whole system.

📖 Read the full article here:https://www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/26185963.early-exit-women-engineering-really-matters/

Why are women leaving engineering, and why does it matter? Women are entering UK engineering in growing numbers but leaving mid-career, deepening skills shortages