The survey, commissioned to coincide with International Women’s Day, found that 86% of respondents would support their school-aged daughter if she decided to become an engineer. The poll also found strong support (78%) for more engineering to be included in the school curriculum, while 54% of people said engineering is as prestigious a profession as law, medicine or accountancy.
Dr Helen Meese, head of healthcare at the IMechE and a Chartered Engineer said: “Women are missing out on the huge career opportunities in engineering. Currently just 6% of UK engineers are female, but the results of this survey are encouraging and show that there is appetite for change.
“This survey shows strong public support for women in engineering, and we hope that by making children aware of the variety of ways engineering impacts our day-to-day lives that we will be able to inspire more children and girls to take up engineering.”
The survey of 2,005 members of the public was carried out by ICM Unlimited on behalf of the IMechE between 24 and 26 February 2016.
