Leader | Creating a balanced outcome

Claire Smith

Almost 18 months ago, NCE signed up to take part in the BBC’s 50:50 equality project, to increase female representation in its output with the aim of reaching gender parity.

The focus of the project for the BBC and its industry partners has been to collect data needed to effect change, measure what we can control and never compromise on quality.

March this year is a “challenge month” for the project coinciding with International Women’s Day on 9 March – International Men’s Day is on 19 November, before you ask – in a bid to strive for the 50:50 targets set out in the project.

While I think it is a great concept, we need to be mindful of how we apply this to industries that have always been male dominated, as change to deliver gender balance should not rely on repressing one group for the benefit of another. That is not progress.

We need to accept the fact that not everything in the past was perfect, avoid re-writing history and move forward together to create a better working environment for all.

We need to accept the fact that not everything in the past was perfect, avoid re-writing history and move forward together

I have spoken about the need to consider diversity in civil engineering before and some have responded that employers should choose the right person for the job regardless of who that person is. And I agree, but only up to a point. Consider this: what if there was bias in recruitment processes that meant a woman who was well qualified for the role did not apply or that the lack of role models meant that a woman who was capable of studying civil engineering decided against it?

We must level the playing field for all right up to the interview stages so that it is the right candidate for the job that sits before the recruiters and then ensure everyone gets the same opportunities as their career progresses too.

Content stocktake

Since NCE joined the 50:50 project, the focus has been on stocktaking of our content. Over the last year and a half, we have been tracking the number of female interviewees in articles and speakers at events. Given that only around 13% of the UK civil engineering industry is made up of women, 50% was always going to be an aspirational target and our focus was more on making sure female voices were being heard in our content.

In delivering on the BBC’s challenge month, we have succeeded in focusing on women in our interviews in this issue and in our podcasts this month. However, on the project report side, it has been more challenging as, if the person with the key technical knowledge is male, then that is who our interviewee has to be. This is where it became a case of the right person for the job and not compromising on quality, so we have not hit the 50:50 target.

But I hope in years to come, as more women progress though the industry, we will see more women in leading positions.

Diversity brings project benefits

Achieving diversity is equally important and is not just the socially and morally right thing to do, it also has benefits for the projects the civil engineering industry delivers. Having a gender balanced, diverse team working on, planning and delivering schemes means that the needs of those using the infrastructure are far more likely to be considered and built into the design.

This insight into the needs of society is a key factor if civil engineering projects are to result in better outcomes. In this month’s interview, National Infrastructure Commission design group chair Sadie Morgan says that the infrastructure sector has a long way to go to really understand how to engage meaningfully with communities.

Diverse professional and technical knowledge drawn from engineers with diverse backgrounds will surely have a better chance of meeting the needs of a diverse society.