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It is a great honour for me to serve as Chairlady of the Women in Engineering (WiE) Committee for Session 2023/2024. I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank our team of
Founding Committee Members: Deputy Chairlady Ir Rachel Ng, Honorary Secretary Ms Cheng Yee Sum, Honorary Treasurer Ms Keiko Kam, Ir Dorothy Chan, Ir Eagle Mo and Ir Kathy Tai.
I would also like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Immediate Past President Ir Aaron Bok and the Council for their full support for WiE.
The HKIE is proud to be unique among Hong Kong’s traditional professional bodies in having a Committee that looks after their female members’ interests.
When it comes to the fields of engineering, women are often under-represented in the academia and in the professional realm across the globe. According to the Society of Women Engineers, 20% of engineering school graduates are women, and women make up only 11% of the total number of practicing engineers. One in four female engineers leaves the field after a certain age, for example, when in their thirties. A survey of local primary and secondary school students, carried out in April 2023, shows that about 70% of the girls have no intention to become an engineer in the future. There are many factors leading to this, such as gender stereotypes, the difficulty of majoring in engineering, or unsatisfying workplace conditions.
However, in Hong Kong, compared with many other parts of the world, many women have contributed to the engineering field, and the number of female engineers is growing fast in the past two decades. This is good news.
We believe the representation of women in engineering careers can be enhanced when we all work together on things like mentoring programs and work-life policies for women. The HKIE could play a key part in such initiatives, and we, the WiE, will serve as a platform to promote female engineers’ achievements, share experiences with young women to inspire them to develop an interest in engineering.
The WiE will organise activities to enhance networking among the HKIE’s female members; exchange professional views with the authorities and key stakeholders to promote the idea of ‘Women in Engineering’ and facilitate the development in engineering education and the workforce, encourage women to remain in the profession, and also encourage female members to participate in institutional affairs.
There are also opportunities to connect with the Mainland and overseas counterparts as we would organise delegations to all parts of the world in the future.
Your support at any level is a vital part of the work we do to empower women at all stages and unleash the manpower potential of the profession.
Last but not least, we are all engineers, no matter what gender or status. We need each other’s support and encouragement in our career. The activities organised by the WiE are open to all HKIE members. I look forward to meeting you soon in our activities.