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”