Why women engineers need men… as allies

Thales recognises that diversity is the cornerstone of innovation, without which it wouldn’t be possible to have different approaches, different beliefs and different solutions; all crucial components of any successful business. In the UK, female engineers account for just 9% of the engineering workforce; a discrepancy which can be attributed primarily due to the low up-take of STEM subjects by girls. Thales is proudly involved in a range of STEM initiatives to help address this gender gap but also recognises that women engineers need support from not just their fellow women colleagues, but from their male ones as well.

Men as allies

To close the gender gap in a meaningful way, women engineers need the support of their male colleagues in order to be accepted and recognised as equal contributors to an organisation. Given the significant difference in genders, without the support of men any real progress in this area will be slow and, with a need to fill 87,000 engineering jobs each year for the next decade, therefore, the more allies there are, the quicker the progress will be made.

But the question isn’t just ‘what makes an ally’ it’s ‘what makes a good ally?’ Dr. Paul Gosling, VP Engineering, Thales UK says ”Being a male ally is more than just the big, occasional gestures. It’s about the everyday actions you demonstrate: calling out unhelpful behaviours, having awareness of subconscious bias and being a strong form of support for your female colleagues.”

Kim Abbott, Customer Innovation & Strategic Growth, Thales UK  is a Mechanical Engineer and echoes these sentiments. She says, “I’ve been fortunate to work with many incredible male allies in my career, and what made them stand out wasn’t their vocal ‘diversity championing’ but rather their quiet everyday actions that ensured I was given equal opportunity and support. Being a public champion and advocator is important, but being a true behind-the-scenes sponsor and ally is just an important.”

We asked some of our female engineers their thoughts on what makes a good ally: