Engineering has traditionally been a job for boys. It’s not that men are better suited to be engineers, it’s just that statistically more men have sought careers in engineering than women. But the idea that engineering is a masculine job is slowly fading. The world needs more female engineers, and there’s a growing movement encouraging women to pursue careers in engineering and an increasing number of women holding engineering positions.
According to the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee, only 14 percent of the U.S. engineering workforce are women. As low as this number is, there are more female engineers today than ever before. In the 1980’s only 5.8% of engineers were women. But thanks to program’s like DiscoverE’s Girl Day, engineering is being made more appealing and more accessible to female students.
But it isn’t just a handful of programs and a change in attitude that’s bringing a larger female population to the field of engineering. The emphasis on STEM subjects is making a number of technology jobs more appealing to both males and females. We’ve realized that to thrive in the future, we need to start investing in technology and technology jobs – such as engineering – now.
Here’s the truth. We don’t just need more female engineers, we need more engineers. Women are underrepresented in engineering – and that should change – but the world needs more engineers in general. Luckily, the focus on STEM subjects and programs encouraging women to pursue jobs in engineering should help with that.
This increased interest in engineering from both males and females is happening at just the right time. As automation and robotic technologies are becoming more advanced and more widely used, engineers are becoming increasingly important.
Motion control and automation are no longer reserved for the manufacturing and packaging industries. It seems like a new industry is embracing robotics and automation every day. Having engineers with the knowledge, skill, and experience to work with these systems will be crucial.
Of course, if you work in manufacturing or packaging, you already know how important automation technology is. After all, your motion control system is what allows you do to the things that you do, and you know that without those machines, you’d be in dire straits. That’s why regular checks, inspections, and maintenance are so important. Contact us today for any Indramat service or repair needs!