Gender Equality and Sustainable
Development in Engineering
1. Challenges Faced by Women in Engineering
Women are significantly underrepresented in.
engineering professions worldwide. Based on the World Economic Forum
(2023), merely 29.2% of the world's STEM workforce is female. Women hold
approximately 23–24% of all engineering positions in
Türkiye, even though they make up 44% of STEM
graduates. Underrepresentation results from structural hindrances like the
'glass ceiling', wage discrimination,
and socioculturalstereotypes. Even though women’s involvement in
education has been enhanced, professional development is still limited.
TÜİK data reveal that women in Türkiye are paid roughly 20% less than men
for the identical work, and the disparity is more extensive for the less
educated. Additionally, a shortage of
flexible working practices, few mentors, as well as only 12.4% world wide
representation in engineering leadership and decision-making positions
contribute to these obstacles. These all result in increased attrition and
reduced influence of women in engineering leadership and decision-making.
2. Social and Technical Dimensions of Sustainable Development
Sustainable development attempts to balance economic growth,
environmental protection, and social equity. Environmental engineering is
central to this endeavor through technical systems such as
wastewater management, air pollution control, and clean energy
production. Such unit operations are not only technical fixes but
also carry deep social implications. For example, access to clean water
improves public health and reduces the domestic workload on women and
children. Projects therefore must be aligned to the local needs
and include the participation of people. Infrastructure can face resistance or
fail to play its purpose effectively if social and gender impacts are
neglected. Climate resilience projects, for instance, must
be participatory and benefit vulnerable populations, especially women.
3. Gender Equality in Engineering Practice
Engineering design for gender
equality includes designing systems that are accessible by all. This
includes street lighting, public transport with access for all, and
public amenities that take into-consideration various needs. Projects that
include women at the planning and implementation stages perform better in
both design and social performance. The World Bank's study of rural water
supply showed that projects that included women were more
efficient and had greater acceptance. Multicultural engineering teams
also produce innovation
of higherquality. Ethics and gender sensitivity needto be incorporated into tr
aining engineers. Social impact assessments need to include indicators such
as safety, time saved, and women-specific income growth.
4. Türkiye and Global Comparison
Turkey has a women's labour force participation rate of 36.4%, which is far
below the EU's 66–71% average. It has a high percentage of female STEM
graduates but only around 24% of them go on to work as
practising engineers. The EU average stands at around 41%, while in
Nordic states such as Norway and Sweden, women comprise more than 50%
of science and engineering workers. Wage gaps are everywhere: Turkish
women earn around 20% less than men, the same as global
averages. Representation at the leadership level is also low—both in Türkiye
and globally—women hold only around 12% of senior STEM jobs. Rural
regions in Türkiye provide an additional layer of issues for women, such
as low educational access and stringent gender
roles. Policy change and region-specific interventions will be needed to
address these issues.
Conclusion
While women
in Türkiye have made greaterinroads into education, work, leadership, and e
qual pay, disparities still persist. Engineering needs to be re-
engineered to make gender equality one of the foundations of sustainable
development. Inclusive design, decision-making, and education
will enhance SDG 5 and project success, innovation, and community well-
being. Gender equality is as much an engineering necessity as it is a social
necessity.
References
1. World Economic Forum (2023). Global Gender Gap Report.
https://www.weforum.org/reports/global-gender-gap-report-2023/
2. UNDP Türkiye. Engineer Girls of Türkiye Project.
https://www.undp.org/turkiye/projects/engineer-girls-turkiye-project-phase-ii
3. Eurostat. Women in science and engineering. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-
explained/index.php?title=Women_in_science_and_engineering
4. TÜİK (2022). Labor Force Statistics. https://data.tuik.gov.tr
5. OECD (2022). Gender wage gap. https://data.oecd.org/earnwage/gender-wage-gap.htm
6. World Bank. Water Supply and Sanitation Projects.
https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/watersupply
