Masculinity in engineering survey launches

Equal Engineers UK study aims to explore stereotype of male engineer.

Equal Engineers has launched its second 'Masculinity in Engineering' survey.

The study will build on the findings its 2019 study and seeks to explore if the culture of engineering is affected by the stereotype of what an engineer looks like, and how men are expected to behave.

Launched on World Mental Health Day (October 10) the survey will be open for seven weeks, closing on 30 November.

Dr Mcbride-Wright, MD and founder of EqualEngineers, set up the company following outcomes of the 2019 study, affirming some of his own experiences as an engineer which highlighted ‘challenges that the lack of diversity can bring, but also the risks posed to health, safety, and wellbeing’.

‘For me, inclusivity in the workplace is a health and safety issue,’ Mcbride-Wright explains. ‘Not being able to be open about who you are because of attitudes and lack of diversity around you can lead to mental health issues and decreased wellbeing. In construction, for example, an industry where suicide rates among men are more than three times the national average, more needs to be done to ensure that commitment to these issues goes much further than token inclusion policies. Our 2018 research found that one in five engineers had lost a work colleague to suicide, and a similar number had self-harmed or had suicidal thoughts themselves. My hope for this survey is to capture the voice of men in the engineering and tech industries; individuals who perhaps feel excluded from the focus on diversity and inclusion efforts of organisations.

Results from the EqualEngineers ‘Masculinity in Engineering Survey’ will be reported in Spring 2022.

The survey can be taken at: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/EqEngMasculinityinEngSurvey2021