Poll shows how engineering is viewed by teenage girls

摘要

Many teenage girls believe boys are more suited to engineering than they are, according to research by Network Rail. The railway operator found that 40% of the 500 girls aged 12 to 17 taking part in its survey believed the profession was better for boys. Construction was seen as better suited to boys than girls by 58% of girls polled. Currently just 14% of Network Rail's workforce are women, although it has pledged to boost recruitment and retention of female staff. Network Rail director of diversity and inclusion Loraine Martins said: "It's no secret that the engineering sector in particular is male dominated and has trouble attracting talented women. "Organisations like ours are making a concerted effort to change that. "This research shows that even girls aged 12 are sensitive to stereotypes, and are ruling themselves out of particular jobs. We must put as much energy into tackling bias while girls are still in education as we do into overcoming gender bias issues in the workplace."