Our Gender Balance Strategy

"To champion, advance and advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) for all staff and students.

To work in an evidence-based and transparent manner, where we hold ourselves and others accountable, to encourage a growth in mindset around EDI."

Increasing the female representation within Mechanical Engineering

Female representation within Swansea University’s (SU) Mechanical Engineering (ME) cohort is only ~8.5%. This ambitious project was awarded through The Royal Academy of Engineering’s Diversity Impact Programme, which strives to address the gender imbalance via evidence-based, beneficiary defined interventions. The delivered strategy will signpost transformational reform within the ME community and serves as a “Springboard” to achieve “50% for the Future” female representation, not only studying ME at SU, but within the profession.

Strategy Development

The scoping work for “50% for the Future” was initiated in September 2021. To capture the true voice of the beneficiaries, a working group (WG) was established that comprised a diverse representation of our Mechanical Engineering student cohort, academics, industry and IMechE. In addition to the clear aim of increasing female student numbers in the department, three problem areas were identified by the WG as needing to be addressed to both help to achieve this long-term aim, as well as to provide more immediate positive impact for the beneficiaries.

The Problem Areas

1. The misconceptions around Mechanical Engineering - Surmised as the collision of the “engineering and gender-stereotype”

2. The male dominated society - The creation of a distinct patriarchal bias.

3. The leaky pipeline effect - Whereby less females pursue a career in Mechanical Engineering

Our Vision

Within the environment of dominant masculinity experienced by women studying Mechanical Engineering, Swansea University’s (SU) Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE) research confirms that women are negatively impacted by demonstrating low self-confidence, self-efficacy, experiencing isolation and lacking relatable role-models.

“50% for the Future” will endeavour to:

Create a more supported and enriching experience for women whilst studying
Create a more inclusive curriculum
Increase focus on mentoring and role-models, to enhance our beneficiaries’ confidence with regards to pursuing a successful career within Mechanical Engineering.

Our Ambition

Increase SU’s Department of Mechanical Engineering (DME) student cohort gender balance to a ratio of 50% before 2050
Match the National Average for female students studying Mechanical Engineering within 5 years
Monitor the satisfaction and well-being of our female undergraduates through regular scored Questionnaires and focus groups – wherever possible, we will look to improve our scores and feedback
Ensure/maintain a high proportion (<75%) of our female undergraduates are motivated/confident enough to pursue a career in the field of Mechanical Engineering

Our Objectives

The focus of this research project aims to further understand and address the 3 problem areas around female under-representation in Mechanical Engineering at Swansea University.

The 3 areas can also be considered as correlating to distinct stages in the process of becoming a professional Mechanical Engineer:

“The Before”

Improve our understanding of the motivating factors around the selection of STEM subjects and subsequently Mechanical Engineering
Improve our understanding of the difference in perceptions around Mechanical Engineering for males versus females.

“The Now”

Establish how we can reduce the negative impact of a male-dominated learning environment, to prevent female students from any barriers to success and motivation while studying.

“The Future”

Identify ways to better support our female students in their future career aspirations to mitigate against the “leaky pipeline” effect.

Creative Writing Competition

50% for the Future’s Creative Writing Competition is now open for submissions and will run until Friday 1st December 2023.

“Mechanical Engineering Through My Eyes…”

Write a short story (fiction/non-fiction), a poem, a leaflet, or a poster using the above title.

Be as creative or inventive as you want!!!

There are two age categories for submissions: 11-13 yrs and 14-16 yrs.

There are 2 AMAZING prizes for each age category!!

1st prize = VR Headset & Games

2nd prize = 3D Printer

Children of all abilities are encouraged to use their creativity and imagination to produce a piece of creative writing titled “Mechanical Engineering Through My Eyes…” the important thing is that you think about and look into what Mechanical Engineers do… we don’t want you to worry about spelling, punctuation or grammar, just do your best!

All stories must:

Be 500 – 1000 words (title not included in the word count)

If you are creating a leaflet or poster, you can use pictures or drawings but there must be plenty of written text also.
Any submission must be written by an individual, not as a group; and,
must be your own idea and work….

Your submission must not:

Give any personal details about yourself/friends/family.

How to enter

Submissions are now open for the competition, until 18:00 on Friday 1st December 2023.

All creative writing entries must be a digital document, so that your teacher can submit your entry on your behalf.

The winners and runners-up will be announced the week commencing 8th January 2024.

Why is this competition so important?

In January of 2022 the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Swansea University secured a grant from the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) to develop a Strategy that will address the current below National Average representation of females on its undergraduate Mechanical Engineering degree course.

This competition aims to promote and raise awareness of Mechanical Engineering and address the misconception around the subject area, particularly with females. We want you to really think about and reflect on what a Mechanical Engineer does? How they have/do/will contribute to society? We want you to open your eyes to the world of Mechanical Engineering…

Your submissions to the competition will help us to better understand your perception and ideas of what Mechanical Engineering is.

It is our intention to run this competition every year, to see how your perceptions and ideas change and develop over time. We are so excited to see your submissions this year! 😊

FAQ’s

When is the competition open?
- The competition is now open and online story submissions will close at 6pm on Friday 1st December 2023.

Do I have to write a story/essay?
- We want you to be as creative as you like – so, no, you can also write a poem, or design a leaflet or poster… whatever you prefer.

If I write a story how long should it be?
- Your fiction stories or non-fiction essays should have somewhere between 500 to 1000 words. If your submission has a word count a lot higher than 1000 then we will unfortunately have to disqualify your entry.

How did you decide the two age categories (11-13 and 14-16)?
- We carried out a survey with our Mechanical Engineering Students at Swansea University. The findings from this, told us that our students started to first become interested in Engineering from the age of ~13 and specifically in Mechanical Engineering around the age of 16.
- Therefore, we want you to start thinking a bit more about Mechanical Engineering before the age of 13, through to 16.

Why is spelling, punctuation and grammar not important to us for this creative writing Competition?
- We are keen that children of all abilities should be able to enter our competition, without the added pressure of spelling, punctuation and grammar. This is an opportunity to celebrate your creativity whilst getting you thinking about Mechanical Engineering.

Are submissions checked for AI?
- All submissions must be the original work of the entrant and must not infringe the rights of any other party. In addition, the use of generative AI tools to create any part of the entry is not permitted and will lead to disqualification.

Who are the judges?
- Mechanical Engineering professionals at Swansea University will be judging the competition; we may also ask for some advice/opinions from teachers in your school.

Can the submissions be written in Welsh?
- Yes

How do I submit my work?
- Your teacher will help you submit your entry

When will judging take place?
- We will be reading your submissions and choosing a winner throughout the month of December 2023. Then the winner will be announced in the week commencing 8th January 2024 i.e. when you’re back in School after the Christmas break.

What are the prizes?
- Each age category will have a 1st and 2nd place prize.
- 1st prize = VR Headset and Games
- 2nd prize = 3D Printer
- We have selected these prizes to encourage you to practice and develop skills around Mechanical Engineering, which we hope will further spark your interest in the subject.