While women are earning more engineering degrees than ever before, with global graduation rates reaching 35% and some countries like China nearing parity at 48%, this growing pipeline starkly contrasts with a workforce where women hold just 28% of engineering jobs worldwide and face significant gaps in pay, promotion, and retention.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, women represented 26% of all engineering undergraduates enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities, a slight increase from 24% in 2018
- Women earned 25.6% of bachelor's degrees awarded in engineering fields across the United States in the 2021-2022 academic year, totaling approximately 14,200 degrees
- In the UK, female students comprised 21.5% of first-year engineering undergraduates in 2021/22, compared to 19.8% five years prior
- In 2022, the U.S. engineering workforce included 16.1% women, holding about 180,000 of 1.1 million jobs
- Women engineers in the U.S. full-time workforce: 15.8% in 2021, with median age 42 vs. 41 for men
- In the UK, women comprised 12.4% of the engineering workforce in 2022, totaling around 50,000 professionals
- In 2022, women engineering managers U.S.: 12.5% of total, earning median $145,000
- Fortune 500 engineering firms: 8.7% women in C-suite engineering roles in 2023
- In UK, women engineering directors: 9.2% in 2022 FTSE 100 companies
- In 2022, U.S. women engineers retention after 5 years: 45% vs. 65% men
- Early career attrition for women engineers U.S.: 38% leave within 10 years
- UK women engineers leaving profession: 25% within first 7 years 2022
- In 2022, U.S. women engineers earned 92% of men's median salary at $110,000 vs. $119,000
- Early-career women engineers U.S. pay gap: 5% less than men 2022
- UK women engineers median salary: £48,000 vs. £52,000 men 2022, 92% ratio
Women are underrepresented in engineering fields globally, though their numbers are slowly growing.
Employment Rates
1In 2022, the U.S. engineering workforce included 16.1% women, holding about 180,000 of 1.1 million jobs
Verified2Women engineers in the U.S. full-time workforce: 15.8% in 2021, with median age 42 vs. 41 for men
Verified3In the UK, women comprised 12.4% of the engineering workforce in 2022, totaling around 50,000 professionals
Verified4Globally, women made up 28% of the engineering workforce in 2020, with highest in Argentina at 42%
Directional5U.S. women in computer engineering jobs: 22% in 2022
Single source6In Canada, female engineers numbered 13.7% of total in 2021, about 42,000
Verified7Australian engineering workforce: 14.5% women in 2022, up from 11% in 2016
Verified8In EU, women engineers: 17.5% in 2021, varying from 22% in Poland to 12% in Germany
Verified9U.S. chemical engineering: 33% women in workforce 2022
Directional10In India, women in engineering jobs: 14% in 2022, despite higher education rates
Single source11Biomedical engineering U.S.: 45% women employed in 2022
Verified12In 2021, U.S. women engineers unemployment rate: 2.8% vs. 2.5% for men
Verified13France engineering workforce women: 20% in 2022
Verified14In tech firms, women software engineers: 21% globally in 2023
Directional15U.S. civil engineering women: 17% in 2022
Single source16Germany women engineers: 16.2% in 2022 industry
Verified17In 2022, Hispanic women engineers U.S.: 6.2% of total
Verified18Black women in U.S. engineering workforce: 3.8% in 2022
Verified19Asian women engineers U.S.: 11.5% of workforce 2022
Directional20Women in U.S. manufacturing engineering: 12% in 2022
Single source21UK women in aerospace engineering: 10.5% in 2022
Verified22In startups, women engineers: 15% globally 2023
Verified23U.S. electrical engineering women: 13% workforce 2022
Verified24Sweden engineering workforce women: 25% in 2022
DirectionalEmployment Rates Interpretation
While a few bright spots like Argentina and biomedical engineering show true progress is possible, the stubbornly low global average for women in engineering reveals an industry still running on one wing, which is a comically inefficient design even by engineering standards.
Enrollment and Degrees
1In 2022, women represented 26% of all engineering undergraduates enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities, a slight increase from 24% in 2018
Verified2Women earned 25.6% of bachelor's degrees awarded in engineering fields across the United States in the 2021-2022 academic year, totaling approximately 14,200 degrees
Verified3In the UK, female students comprised 21.5% of first-year engineering undergraduates in 2021/22, compared to 19.8% five years prior
Verified4Globally, women accounted for 35% of all tertiary graduates in engineering, manufacturing, and construction in 2020, varying widely by region from 40% in Latin America to 28% in Asia
Directional5At MIT, women made up 47% of the incoming Class of 2026 declaring interest in engineering majors, surpassing the national average significantly
Single source6In Canada, women received 23.4% of engineering bachelor's degrees in 2021, with a notable rise in computer engineering at 28%
Verified7Australian universities saw women earning 24.1% of engineering undergraduate degrees in 2022, up 2.5 percentage points from 2017
Verified8In India, female enrollment in engineering programs reached 43% of total seats in 2022, driven by increased access in IITs to 28%
Verified9EU countries reported women as 30.2% of engineering graduates in 2021, with Finland leading at 38% and Italy at 25%
Directional10In 2023, women comprised 22.7% of engineering PhD recipients in the U.S., with chemical engineering at 34.5%
Single source11South Korea had women earning 21.8% of engineering bachelor's degrees in 2022, focused heavily in biomedical engineering at 45%
Verified12Brazil's engineering degrees awarded to women hit 32% in 2021, highest in environmental engineering at 41%
Verified13In Germany, women were 29% of first-year engineering students in 2022/23, up from 25% in 2018
Verified14Japan saw female engineering undergraduates at 16.5% in 2022, with slow growth in electrical engineering to 20%
Directional15In 2021, U.S. community colleges had 28% female enrollment in engineering transfer programs
Single source16France reported 31% women in engineering master's programs in 2022
Verified17Women in engineering associate degrees in the U.S. were 14.5% in 2022
Verified18In 2023, HBCUs in the U.S. had 24% female engineering graduates
Verified19Mexico's engineering bachelor's degrees to women reached 34% in 2022
Directional20Sweden led Europe with 36% female engineering graduates in 2021
Single source21In the U.S., women earned 19.2% of mechanical engineering bachelor's degrees in 2022
Verified22China's female engineering enrollment hit 48% in 2022 at top universities
Verified23In 2021, women were 27% of engineering students in online programs globally
Verified24U.S. Hispanic women earned 8.5% of engineering bachelor's in 2022
Directional25Black women in U.S. engineering degrees: 4.2% of total in 2022
Single source26Asian women: 12.1% of U.S. engineering bachelor's recipients in 2022
Verified27White women: 45.3% of female engineering graduates in U.S. 2022
Verified28In 2023, women in U.S. engineering grad school enrollment: 27.4%
Verified29Netherlands: 28% female engineering undergrads in 2022
DirectionalEnrollment and Degrees Interpretation
While these statistics show a slow but promising crawl towards greater gender diversity in engineering globally, the persistent underrepresentation, stark geographic disparities, and the fact that progress often feels less like a rising tide and more like a series of isolated, hard-won leaks in a very large dam, reveal just how much structural and cultural work remains to be done.
Leadership and Advancement
1In 2022, women engineering managers U.S.: 12.5% of total, earning median $145,000
Verified2Fortune 500 engineering firms: 8.7% women in C-suite engineering roles in 2023
Verified3In UK, women engineering directors: 9.2% in 2022 FTSE 100 companies
Verified4Globally, women CEOs in engineering-heavy firms: 6.4% in 2023
Directional5U.S. women VP of Engineering: 11% in tech 2023
Single source6Canada women in senior engineering roles: 14.3% in 2022
Verified7Australian women engineering executives: 13.8% in ASX 200, 2022
Verified8EU women engineering department heads: 15.2% in 2021 universities
Verified9Women deans of U.S. engineering schools: 18% in 2023, up from 10% in 2015
Directional10In India, women CTOs in engineering firms: 7.5% in 2022
Single source11Biomedical engineering leadership women U.S.: 28% directors 2022
Verified12Promotion rates: U.S. women engineers to manager 18% vs. 25% men in 2022
Verified13France women engineering firm presidents: 11% in 2022
Verified14Women board members engineering societies U.S.: 32% in 2023
Directional15In academia, women full professors engineering U.S.: 16.5% 2022
Single source16Tech companies women engineering leads: 10.2% Google 2023
Verified17Hispanic women engineering leaders U.S.: 4.1% 2022
Verified18Black women senior engineers U.S.: 2.9% 2022
Verified19Asian women VPs engineering: 9.8% U.S. 2023
Directional20Women engineering patent holders lead inventors: 12% U.S. 2022
Single source21UK women engineering professors: 14% in 2022
Verified22In startups, women engineering founders: 8.5% 2023
Verified23Germany women engineering board chairs: 7.2% DAX 2022
Verified24U.S. women tenured engineering faculty: 19.3% 2023
DirectionalLeadership and Advancement Interpretation
These statistics paint a bleak picture of a leaky pipeline, where even a promising 28% in biomedical leadership can't mask the fact that, across the board, women in engineering are still being promoted like they're using dial-up in a 5G world.
Retention and Turnover
1In 2022, U.S. women engineers retention after 5 years: 45% vs. 65% men
Verified2Early career attrition for women engineers U.S.: 38% leave within 10 years
Verified3UK women engineers leaving profession: 25% within first 7 years 2022
Verified4Global retention women engineering: 52% after 15 years vs. 72% men
Directional5U.S. tech women engineers turnover: 17% annually 2023
Single source6Canada female engineer retention rate: 68% after 3 years 2021
Verified7Australia women engineers exit rate: 22% mid-career 2022
Verified8EU women engineering retention: 55% long-term 2021
Verified9Post-maternity leave return for women engineers U.S.: 62% full-time 2022
Directional10India women engineers retention: 29% after 10 years 2022
Single source11Biomedical women retention U.S.: 75% after 5 years 2022
Verified12Reasons for leaving: 41% women cite work-life balance U.S. 2022
Verified13France women engineers staying: 71% after 5 years 2022
Verified14Mentorship impact: Women with mentors 82% retention vs. 65% without U.S.
Directional15Flexible work boosts retention by 28% for women engineers U.S. 2023
Single source16Hispanic women retention U.S. engineering: 52% 5-year 2022
Verified17Black women turnover: 35% higher than average U.S. 2022
Verified18Asian women retention: 70% after 5 years U.S. 2022
Verified19Academia retention women engineering: 48% to tenure 2022 U.S.
Directional20UK flexible policies: 15% drop in women leaving engineering 2022
Single source21Remote work retention boost: 25% for women engineers global 2023
Verified22Germany women mid-career retention: 60% 2022
Verified23U.S. women engineers citing bias as leave reason: 29% 2022
VerifiedRetention and Turnover Interpretation
The leaky pipeline of women in engineering persists globally, not for a lack of talent, but because the profession too often demands they choose between their career and their humanity, a calculus that statistics show many rightly refuse to make.
Salary and Compensation
1In 2022, U.S. women engineers earned 92% of men's median salary at $110,000 vs. $119,000
Verified2Early-career women engineers U.S. pay gap: 5% less than men 2022
Verified3UK women engineers median salary: £48,000 vs. £52,000 men 2022, 92% ratio
Verified4Global engineering pay equity: Women 84% of men in 2020 OECD
Directional5U.S. computer engineering women salary: $128,000 median 2022
Single source6Canada women engineers average: CAD 95,000 vs. 105,000 men 2021
Verified7Australia pay gap engineering: 18% women less 2022
Verified8EU engineering gender pay gap: 16% average 2021
Verified9U.S. chemical engineering women: $115,000 median 2022
Directional10India women engineers salary: 82% of men average 2022
Single source11Biomedical women U.S. salary: $98,000 median 2022
Verified12With PhD, U.S. women engineers: $135,000 vs. $142,000 men 2022
Verified13France engineering pay gap: 14% 2022
Verified14Bonus pay women engineers U.S.: 75% of men's average 2023
Directional15Senior women managers engineering: $160,000 median U.S. 2022
Single source16Hispanic women engineers salary U.S.: $95,000 median 2022
Verified17Black women: $102,000 vs. $118,000 white men 2022 U.S.
Verified18Asian women engineers: $122,000 median U.S. 2022
Verified19UK part-time women engineers: 88% pay equity when adjusted 2022
Directional20Negotiation success: Women engineers 68% raise rate vs. 82% men U.S.
Single source21Germany engineering pay gap: 19% 2022
Verified22Overtime pay equity women engineers EU: 90% 2021
Verified23U.S. women engineers with 10+ years exp: $125,000 median 2022
VerifiedSalary and Compensation Interpretation
The global engineering field continues to run on a stubbornly outdated operating system where the data shows women, while performing the same complex calculations, are systematically paid a few crucial percentage points less for the final result.
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