It’s a Man’s World……Is it?
The aerospace industry has long been seen as the preserve of men and, let’s be honest, when we think of engineering, the majority of us will assume that it is men behind the amazing technology that is being produced. But this assumption is wrong, and for some years now women in aerospace industry jobs have been on the increase – and this is great news. The problem is that it is nowhere near enough progress.
We are fairly used to seeing females in positions such as marketing for space and satellite companies. This is seen as a much more ‘female role’, if there is such a thing. However, we now have women filling top positions in the industry. Look at Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO of SpaceX. She is an integral part of the most-watched space company in the world. There are many others such as Kay Sears, VP of Strategy and Business Development for Space Systems Business area at Lockheed Martin, also Mary Cotton, CEO of VT iDirect.
Women are making their mark in this exciting and complex industry, although this is a very slow process. The statistics speak for themselves. Let’s look at the UK market alone. According to the Women’s Engineering Society, just 9 percent of the engineering workforce is female. The UK has the lowest percentage of female engineering professionals in Europe, at less than 10 percent, whilst Latvia, Bulgaria and Cyprus lead with nearly 30 percent. The proportion of young women studying engineering and physics has remained virtually static since 2012. Staggeringly, nearly 100,000 female STEM graduates were unemployed or economically inactive, so enabling women to reach their full potential in work could add as much as $28 trillion to annual GDP in 2025.
It makes stark reading doesn’t it?
As specialists in space industry recruitment, Nebula is extremely focused on redressing this balance. We work extremely hard for all our clients to make sure we find the job that is the right fit for them. This makes for a much happier and more fulfilled workforce! We recognise that the role of women in space is extremely important. There are a huge number of highly experienced female engineers who are qualified in a vast range of areas: robotics, satellite communications, remote sensing, human space flight and many other aspects. We believe that industry recruitment must be more passionate about broadening opportunities for women in space and to increase their visibility across the industry. Yes, encouraging young women into STEM and engineering courses is vital but once the qualifications are gained, the recruitment industry must be dedicated to the role of women in space by offering the best opportunities possible.
Whether you are a female or a male engineer struggling to find the right career move, get in touch. We are here to listen, to help and to help you to land your dream job.
info@nebula-space.com