Women at the core of innovation
According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), women are more likely than men to have completed a tertiary degree. Nonetheless, far fewer women globally focus their studies on engineering and technology. Research shows that in 2021, only 16.5% of the global engineering workforce was comprised of women. While the figure is slightly higher in the wider STEM workforce, in 2023 it encompassed only 28% women. The percentage varies by specialization: only 9% of mechanical engineers are female, compared to 35% of environmental engineers; in the computer industry, only 18% of software developers and 32% of computer and information research scientists are women.
It is essential to narrow the gender gap if these and other fields are to progress to their full innovative capacity. Diverse perspectives and experiences are important for the development of solutions to today’s challenges. A team with a wide range of backgrounds and experiences can address a larger set of problems and generate more diverse ideas than one that is narrowly comprised.
At ALTEN, we pride ourself on innovation, which hinges on its ability to attract the best minds to work on some of the biggest challenges in the engineering industries. The ALTEN Group’s drive for excellence is founded on a commitment to inclusion and diversity, including the belief that women have much to off er in technical and scientific roles. Yet too few young women choose scientific or engineering careers.
ALTEN is working to increase the presence of women among our workforce, by:
- working to change the image of engineering among young people, particularly young women
- ensuring equal treatment of women and men throughout their careers
- promoting a balance between personal and professional life for all
- aiming for the balanced representation of women and men throughout
- encouraging women’s access to management positions through upward mobility.
Our Group will continue to make concerted efforts to counter stereotypes and misconceptions, recognizing the great contribution women make every day to our work and to our lives and encouraging engineering vocations among young women.
“For me, being an engineer means finding solutions to problems. These could be technical solutions or solutions to improve our day-to-day processes. Everything we do today contributes to tomorrow’s world. We are all working together to make the future better. In my case, it’s about making helicopters and aircraft safe for people.”
Jeanne Lemiere, Certification and Qualification Engineer
“I enjoy the autonomy to deliver the projects the way I want and the support I have to do that. The reason I became an engineer was to try to improve and change things. This means keeping an eye on the future while finetuning how we work today. I hope to encourage more women to see the potential of a career in technical direction. That diversity will bring strength to our teams.”
Dorrien Allison, Project Director in the Aerospace Sector
