History of women in engineering in the United Kingdom
Have you heard of engineering? It's when people use science and math to create things like buildings, bridges, and even technology like computers and cell phones. Engineers are very important because they make our world a better place!
Now, for a long time, engineering was mostly a job for men. This means that women didn't have many opportunities to work as engineers. But that didn't mean women weren't interested in engineering!
In the United Kingdom, some women started studying engineering in the late 1800s. But it wasn't easy for them. They had to fight hard to be taken seriously and get the same education and jobs as men.
One woman who did this was a lady named Hertha Marks Ayrton. She was really interested in electricity and how it works. She got a degree in mathematics and did some important research on electric arcs (a kind of electricity that jumps from one place to another).
Another woman who made history in engineering was a lady named Dame Caroline Haslett. She worked as an engineer during World War I, designing machines that helped make bullets and shell cases. After the war, she started an organization called the Women's Engineering Society. They worked to help other women get jobs in engineering and to promote the idea that women can be just as good at engineering as men.
But even with these pioneers, it still took a long time before women were fully accepted in engineering. It wasn't until the 1970s and 80s that more and more women started studying engineering and getting jobs in the field.
Today, there are still more men than women in engineering, but things are improving. Women have more opportunities than ever to be engineers and make a difference in the world!
Now, for a long time, engineering was mostly a job for men. This means that women didn't have many opportunities to work as engineers. But that didn't mean women weren't interested in engineering!
In the United Kingdom, some women started studying engineering in the late 1800s. But it wasn't easy for them. They had to fight hard to be taken seriously and get the same education and jobs as men.
One woman who did this was a lady named Hertha Marks Ayrton. She was really interested in electricity and how it works. She got a degree in mathematics and did some important research on electric arcs (a kind of electricity that jumps from one place to another).
Another woman who made history in engineering was a lady named Dame Caroline Haslett. She worked as an engineer during World War I, designing machines that helped make bullets and shell cases. After the war, she started an organization called the Women's Engineering Society. They worked to help other women get jobs in engineering and to promote the idea that women can be just as good at engineering as men.
But even with these pioneers, it still took a long time before women were fully accepted in engineering. It wasn't until the 1970s and 80s that more and more women started studying engineering and getting jobs in the field.
Today, there are still more men than women in engineering, but things are improving. Women have more opportunities than ever to be engineers and make a difference in the world!