Industrial engineering offers women a bright future

OBSERVED annually on 23 June, International Women in Engineering Day celebrates the contributions of women in engineering and encourages more girls and women to pursue careers in the field. The theme for 2025, '#TogetherWeEngineer' underscores the collective efforts of women engineers globally in advancing innovation and fostering positive change.

- SARA GROBBELAAR

On this Women in Engineering Day, as we celebrate resilience, leadership, and progress, it's important to reflect not only on the encouraging strides toward gender equity in engineering but also on why engineering—and industrial engineering in particular—is a fantastic career choice for women.

While barriers to equitable access still exist in many spaces, the trends are moving in the right direction. Women are not only entering STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields in greater numbers; they are reshaping them from within, bringing fresh perspectives and creating a lasting impact.

At my institution, Stellenbosch University, the progress within the Faculty of Engineering over the past decade is a good example of this trend.

In 2015, just 26% of academic staff were women. By 2024, that number had risen to 35%. Female undergraduate enrolment grew from 23% to 32%, and at the postgraduate level, from 17% to 31%. Across the disciplines, there are signs of real change.

In Chemical Engineering, women now make up 57% of undergraduate students — a complete reversal of earlier gender imbalances. In Electrical and Electronic Engineering — traditionally one of the most male-dominated fields — the number of female academic staff has nearly doubled, and female postgraduate enrollment has also grown significantly.