The survey – Britain’s got talented female engineers – carried out by Atkins in partnership with BP, Rolls-Royce and the Royal Academy of Engineering, asked 300 female engineers what inspires them and how they think companies can work to help attract more females in the future. 

Martin Grant, chief executive of Atkins’ energy business, said: “There have been many studies into why girls don’t choose STEM subjects at school but we haven’t seen any focused on what inspires the women who do choose a path to engineering, either at school or later. These survey results show that engineering is in fact an extremely rewarding career choice for women. However, it also shows that a lack of understanding, awareness and inspiration prohibits girls considering an engineering career, which we in industry must work together to address.”

As part of its drive to use this survey Atkins has promoted a series of role models whose stories are available to support the full survey report at http://www.atkinsglobal.com/about-us/our-publications

Other survey findings include:

• 79% said their colleagues and employers play an important role in helping them fit their career alongside family life and personal interests 
• Although three-quarters believe engineering is still regarded as a male career, 70% say being a woman makes no difference when applying for a job, and for a further 17% being female actually helped
• 91% cite an inspirational teacher as a reason for choosing an engineering related career – and it’s not always a physics teacher
• 75% were interested in problem solving and fixing things from an early age
• Seven in eight believe greater awareness of what engineers do is needed