Is engineering the problem child of the built environment?
Fun and creative. That’s how Ashburner Francis Electrical Engineer, and recent graduate, Rachel Anderson describes her profession. So if Rachel’s right, why aren’t more young women following her into careers in engineering?
According to stats from Engineers Australia in 2025, only 19% per cent of engineering graduates in Australia are women and an even smaller percentage, 16%, account for professional engineers1.
Rachel says “engineering degrees don’t necessarily turn into engineering careers” and laments that sometimes women can feel isolated and undervalued when entering the workforce. “Engineering has traditionally been a male-dominated industry, which can make women feel like outsiders once they enter the profession.”
Rachel’s colleague, Hydraulic Engineer Isabella Schettino, goes further: “Without strong support networks or role models, it can be easier to pivot into adjacent industries within the built environment, where perhaps your skills may feel more transferable and environments more inclusive.”
Ashburner Francis engineers Rachel Anderson, Isabella Schettino, Lara Harris (Director) and Samar Desouky (Photo ©Leonie Bolt)
Isabella doesn’t have to look far for the supports she believes are vital to propel her profession into a more equitable environment for young women. Ashburner Francis’ Lara Harris, a mechanical engineer and Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD) expert, took up a Directorship at the firm in 2024.
Since then, the number of females applying for undergraduate and post-graduate roles at Ashburner Francis has more than doubled. And Lara says she’s buoyed by the upswing. “I believe having more diverse viewpoints around any design discussion can only lead to better outcomes,” Lara says.
“My mother showed me you don’t have to decide between a career and a family — and that nothing was off limits to me as a woman. It never occurred to me not to pursue engineering on the basis of any kind of real or imagined gender inequality.”
Lara has two young children and supports flexible work arrangements for parents and caregivers at Ashburner Francis. Samar Desouky, a mother of three, is one of the benefactors of that flexibility.
“Engineering is a demanding profession but it is possible to balance this career with other life commitments,” Samar explains. “Eradicating any unconscious bias in hiring and promotions will guarantee women equal opportunities to advance to top-tier roles in engineering,” she says.
Meanwhile, Isabella Schettino believes some myth busting is long overdue. “We need to dispel the myth that engineering is purely technical or solitary,” Isabella says. “In reality, it’s collaborative, creative and people-focused.”
Recent graduate Rachel Anderson, whose career has just begun, believes all engineers have a part to play in promoting the profession. “I don’t see myself as a role model in any grand sense but I do think visibility matters.
“I’m happy to share my experiences and I’ll be delighted if that helps even one young woman consider engineering as an achievable and worthwhile career.”
[1] https://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/news-and-media/2025/07/engineering-has-evolved-so-must-way-we-talk-about-it