Australia needs 60,000 more engineers by 2035, and we won’t reach that target – let alone solve the complex global challenges we face – if we keep recruiting from only half the population. To mark International Women in Engineering Day, Chief Engineer Katherine Richards AM HonFIEAust CPEng reflects on how gender equality is a strategic imperative.
I joined the Royal Australian Navy in the late 80s to study engineering driven by equal parts curiosity and conviction. I wanted to understand how things worked, live a life of service and do something different. The Navy offered a strong sense of purpose – of putting others before self – and the promise of an extraordinary education. That resonated.
Unlike other young women at the time, I had a role model. My mother had joined the Navy in the 1960s, one of the first three women in Australia to enter as a direct-entry officer. A fully qualified chartered practising accountant – an almost unheard-of feat for a woman at the time – she was still seen as fit only for administrative and secretarial roles. And when she married my father, she was forced to resign. That was the rule: married women couldn’t serve.
Fast forward just one generation, and her daughter – me – would not only be accepted into the Navy as a mechanical engineer but rise through its ranks to become an admiral. When I look back now, especially on days like International Women in Engineering Day (INWED), I see this not just as personal progress but as a collective achievement. It’s the result of generations of women pushing against invisible walls and of good people – men and women – changing systems to create space for others.
A challenging start
When I started out in the late 1980s, things were very different from my mother’s time but still very challenging. The Australian Defence Force Academy was a new and demanding institution. The attrition rate in my mechanical engineering cohort was staggering: 23 of us started, men and women alike, and I was the only one to graduate on time. The days began at 5.30am, filled with military training, academic rigour, physical fitness and endless contact hours. It was tough. But that experience forged a level of resilience in me I still carry to this day.
My early years in marine engineering were also just as intellectually challenging and physically demanding. Warships are not built for comfort; they’re built to fight.
I worked below deck, running the ship’s engineering plant – without which a vessel can’t float, move or fight. I was, at that time, one of only a handful of women in that domain and the first to become qualified as a charge marine engineer. There weren’t even boots in my size or overalls that fit. It sounds trivial now, almost quaint, but it’s symbolic. Women were expected to fit into a system built by and for men. Literally and figuratively, the uniform didn’t fit.
Katherine Richards reflects on how lifelong learning and curiosity are key to driving a leadership mindset in the profession.
Standing on the shoulders of giants
Though my mother didn’t get to wear the uniform for long, her belief in service and in the value of women’s work shaped me. She told me that watching her daughter become an admiral was something she could never have imagined. And that’s why I’m here – because so many women like her challenged the status quo and decent men were prepared to embrace change and share power.
Every time we do this, we invest in the future of the people who will follow us. We effectively scaffold future opportunities for them. Thanks to these women, today we have no shortage of role models. We have women engineers making huge advances on the core issues facing our country: from national security to decarbonisation to advanced manufacturing and the circular economy.
It’s no longer unusual to meet a woman engineer and they are usually given uniforms that fit. So, from when I started in the 1980s we can be proud of the progress made.
Progress is not the same as completion
There is still a pay gap: that’s real. There’s also still a participation gap: only 16 per cent of people working in engineering occupations in Australia are women. That’s something we need to fix.
It’s not about ticking boxes or fulfilling quotas. It’s about fairness and opportunity, necessity and national capacity. We need 60,000 more engineers in Australia, and we won’t reach that target – let alone solve the complex global challenges we face – if we keep drawing only from half the population.
So there’s still a long way to go. But how can we address these issues?
Acknowledge that the systems we’ve built contain biases
Many biases are unintentional but still harmful. From pay gaps to parental leave penalties to career interruptions, women face a different professional terrain. It’s not enough to say “the door is open” when the path to it is strewn with obstacles.
We need to actively strip back those systemic biases and redesign our institutions to be more inclusive – for everyone’s benefit.
Everyone plays a part
I’ve been lucky to work with some amazing men in my career who have helped me push myself and supported me to grow. These were men who said, “it’s not enough to be ‘not sexist’; we need to provide active support.”
So, to the many men of our profession, I say: be an ally. Start the conversation with your female colleagues. Ask what support looks like for them. Then listen. Don’t project your views onto a conversation and don’t volunteer to solve a woman’s problems or issues based on your analysis. That type of behaviour really is a recipe for a disastrous conversation.
Instead, when it is your turn to speak, just humbly ask the simple question: “What do you think I could do better to support you to achieve what’s right for you?” Then act on what you learn. Engineers are problem-solvers by nature. We can apply that same mindset to addressing gender inequity in the profession. This is a problem that demands your skillset.
Change the story from the start
If we want more women in engineering, we must start earlier. There’s been a decline in the number of girls taking up STEM subjects in high school. This isn’t just a pipeline issue – it’s a narrative issue. We must tell a better story, one that reflects the reality of engineering as a life of purpose.
Because engineering isn’t just about numbers or machinery or some academic view of systems and networks. It’s about delivering safe drinking water, building sustainable infrastructure, ensuring national security, and connecting communities.
It’s a deeply human profession, one that underpins every part of our lives. And yet we often only notice it when it fails. That’s the irony of engineering – it’s ubiquitous and invisible. To change the perception, we must show how profound its impact is. That’s how we ignite passion in the next generation of young women.
Eliminate the parenting penalty
Another major hurdle is the parenting break, which disproportionately affects women. We must rethink how we talk about this. Taking time off to raise children is not a “loss” of skill – it’s a gain. Parenthood teaches resilience, prioritisation, emotional regulation and long-term thinking. These are leadership qualities. They are not liabilities; they are assets. Employers must learn to recognise that – and so must women returning to the workforce.
I remember having to correct one of my colleagues when I returned from taking some long service leave after having a baby. He asked me how my holiday had been and why I looked so tired. I said I had not been on holiday but instead had been working 24/7 loving a baby. In all reality, he just needed someone to adjust his perceptions of work. It was up to me to not let that opportunity slide.
Today: Looking to the future
The engineering profession faces challenges more complex and urgent than ever before – from the energy transition to climate resilience, from infrastructure renewal to advanced manufacturing. Solving these challenges demands more than technical expertise; it requires diverse thinking, inclusive collaboration and bold leadership. That means we need every mind at the table – and that includes the 50 per cent of the population who are women.
We can’t wait for someone else to do it for us, or some initiative to come along. Individually, we need to dismantle barriers when we see them. Nobody can afford to be a bystander.
We can’t build a sustainable, innovative, and equitable engineering future without embracing gender diversity as a strategic imperative.
The future of engineering in Australia depends on a workforce that reflects the society it serves. That means building systems and cultures that support participation, progression and purpose for all. From classrooms to boardrooms, from submarines to skyscrapers, engineering must be a place where everyone can thrive.
International Women in Engineering Day is a chance to pause and reflect – but it must also be a catalyst. Because building the future starts now. And it must include everyone.
Join Engineers Australia on Monday 23 June to celebrate International Women in Engineering Day. Find an event near you.
I am a [male] civil, at the end of my careeer, I have been retired for 20 years now. I have always been a volunteer for EA [or IEAust] and was Chair of Sydney Division in 1990. I am at present on Sydney Division again and am aware that your figure of 16% women engineers is accurate. Migrant engineers have a higher percentage of women amongst their cohort.
I have always believed that Australians have always missed out on getting roughly 50% of the engineering minds into the engineering workforce – women.
I will support you and indeed anyone who advocates for women engineers. Good on you!
Congratulations on a very pertinent, and powerful, writeup of your career in life and engineering. Your experience in “breaking through the ceiling” in the Navy and engineering, has been very common in many organisations, not only in the engineering profession.
In the 1960s, days when my father was very active in Rotary, I don’t recall there being any women members in his club. In later years as an young engineer, I was encouraged to join another organisation, Rostrum, to boost my communication and meeting skills. Then, Rostrum was male only, and Penguins filled a similar role for ladies. Today, Rostrum has 95 clubs across Australia, with a good gender balance.
Rostrum’s national presidents in the past 8 years have been ladies with great leadership talents.
Equally, in engineering, I support anyone who advocates for women engineers.
An excellent read from Admiral Richards, who offers an insightful perspective on creating an equitable and purpose-driven workplace for women. As a leader and engineer, I strongly support fostering an environment where equity and inclusion are at the forefront. Admiral Richards’ insights are valuable reminders for all engineers, managers, and leaders about the importance of reflecting on how our decisions, design intent and leadership styles shape not only our teams but also the broader organisational culture. We need to break down these barriers to attract all aspects of our diverse population, particularly females, to achieve as a nation the feats that are being asked of us.