06/23/2026
International Women in Engineering Day is celebrated across the globe to raise awareness about the women pursuing engineering and transforming the world with their incredible achievements.
For centuries, women have played an essential role as designers and builders of critical structures and machines even before the term ‘engineer’ was coined in the 11th century. However, fields, such as engineering, have been largely kept shut from women.
Upon the establishment of educational institutions, most universities didn’t admit women until the early 1800s. Even then, the admission remained sectioned to traditionally ‘female’ fields.
But this has never deterred women from participating in the engineering sector. In 1876, Elizabeth Bragg, unfettered by the gender disparities and discrimination, became the first female recipient of an engineering degree when she got her bachelor’s in civil engineering from the University of Berkeley, paving the way for thousands of women of the 19th century who followed her lead.
We also can’t forget that it was a woman, Ada Lovelace, who collaborated with Charles Babbage to design the first computer program in the world.
It wasn’t until the Second World War that serious attention was paid to women’s education in technical fields. Facing the reality of the shortage of technical labor, quick on-the-job training schedules were launched by major players in the field. Even in the 21st century, STEM continues to be dominated by men.
With the gruesome gender gap and hiring discrimination, women continue to endure struggles in this field. Nevertheless, if women have the passion and they remain determined, they may be able to close this gap and get high-paying engineering jobs like men soon in the future.
