More women in engineering will make society prosper

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"The future needs more women in engineering and construction because our industry is essential in securing health, safety and economic prosperity around the world." - Catherine Karakatsanis, president-elect of FIDIC.

Catherine Karakatsanis, president-elect of FIDIC, the International Federation of Consulting Engineers, offers her thoughts on the role of women in the engineering and construction sector.

To mark International Women’s Day on 8 March 2023 and this year’s theme of DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality, we spoke to FIDIC president-elect Catherine Karakatsanis on the role of women in the engineering and construction sector and her thoughts on how more women can be attracted into the industry and the benefits this would bring.

How important is it that we highlight the role of women in our industry on days like International Women’s Day?

I think it is important to celebrate the significant contributions women make in our industry, especially given the fact that they are a small minority, they still thrive and produce amazing work. I hope this will encourage more women to join our industry because women have the capacity to gain the knowledge and skills required and will enjoy a wonderfully rewarding career. I see this daily in my role as a consulting engineer.

Do you think we need more women working in engineering and construction and what benefits would this bring to the industry and its outputs?

The future needs more women in engineering and construction because our industry is essential in securing health, safety and economic prosperity around the world. To do this effectively, the industry must actively engage the best minds and we need to ensure a strong core of potentially different views and ways of thinking, which means ensuring more women are joining and staying in the industry and leading it as well. Society will prosper as a result.

As a woman in a prominent role in the engineering sector, do you see yourself as a role model for others and should the sector be doing more to encourage diversity?

I am told from time to time that I am a role model for both women and men and that is very gratifying. I am especially pleased if I encourage more women to enter and stay in our industry. I wholeheartedly recommend a career in engineering and construction because the work has meaning and is fulfilling. Our work makes the world a better place – engineers are constantly inspiring change and are responsible for the ground-breaking work in major sectors including healthcare, the environment, infrastructure and technology.

Who inspired you when you were younger to take up a career in engineering and who inspires you today?

I was aware of the profession at a young age because of the engineers in my family, so early on I appreciated what an important role engineering has in making our world a better place. My parents have been a huge inspiration to me. They were immigrants to Canada and they led their life with integrity, courage, caring, respect for others and a strong sense of right and wrong. They gave me the confidence and encouragement to pursue my dreams – even if that meant a career that was not traditionally female.

How can we attract more women into the industry?

Attracting and retaining women in engineering is of great importance to me. The percentage of women remains very low, yet many studies show that having a balance between the number of men and women in our industry will make it even stronger. One way to attract more women into our industry is by celebrating International Women’s Day. As president-elect of FIDIC, I am proud of the contributions the women in our industry make day-in and day-out all around the world.

Catherine Karakatsanis is the chief operating officer at Morrison Hershfield is an employee-owned professional services firm headquartered in Toronto, Canada and also the president-elect of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC).