The South African engineering sector has evolved to become more gender-balanced, as employment equity measures increasingly ensure equal opportunities for men and women.

That might be the long-term goal of the engineering sector, but it is certainly not the current reality.

In 2013, the Engineering Council of South Africa said almost 11% of the total number of engineers registered with the council were women, but that professional women engineers totalled only 4%.

Is it that women aren’t pursuing careers in engineering, or is there an underlying issue that challenges the opportunities for women to build sustainable careers in this sector?

I believe it’s the latter. Shocking statistics from the council last year showed that 70% of the women who graduated with engineering degrees left the sector after starting their careers because they felt isolated in their jobs. Research at Network Engineering reveals that professional South African women engineers continue to battle old stigmas in this male-dominated industry.

Despite being managers, these women report having to work harder to prove they are capable of doing their jobs, both behind their desks and in the field; they can’t ask too many questions for fear of appearing weak, nor be too assertive for fear of being labelled aggressive; they can’t show emotion in case they appear too sensitive; and they constantly have to fight the perception that they were only hired to meet employment equity quotas.