Women
in Chemical Engineering
Chemical Engineering as a discipline and
a profession in the UK and Europe was dominated by males in its
early history but this has been steadily changing since the 1950s
and 60s. Although the number of women applying for chemical engineering
courses was very small initially, today, in the U.K over one third
of all Aston University new graduate chemical engineers are women
and these graduates are usually successful in securing permanent
employment within six months of graduating.
Women chemical engineers are no longer the novelty they once were
but a welcome addition to the profession. Within industry, women
chemical engineers can be found across all aspects of operations
including: oil exploration, production, research, refining, planning,
design and commissioning, manufacturing and marketing.
The Salters’ Institute of Industrial Chemistry is a 604 year
old, well-established organisation which offers 8 prizes annually
to final-year undergraduates studying at British Universities, who
expect to obtain an Honours degree in Chemical Engineering or Chemistry
and who intend to take up posts in the UK chemical and chemical
engineering industry. These prizes are highly prestigious and are
awarded on the basis of the student’s potential ultimately
to occupy a leading position in the UK’s chemical industry.
Two of our women chemical engineering graduates have had the honour
of winning one of these prizes: Cathy Jones (1990) and Paula Sakoshansky
(1992).
Ruth Pennell joined Unilever in 1991 as a Environmental Engineer
after graduating from Aston University with a BEng in Chemical Process
Engineering. In her first 18 months, Ruth undertook training alongside
placements and assignments with operating companies within the UK
and in Europe, before being appointed to her first management role.
"A large part of my workload is concerned with controlling
water pollution at manufacturing sites around the world".
Similarly, Siobhan McErlean graduated from Aston in 1991 with a
BEng in Chemical Process Engineering. She joined SmithKline Beecham
Pharmaceuticals as a process engineer and worked on a multi-purpose
chemical plant which produces side chains for the manufacture of
different types of penicillin. "My role comprises both day-to-day
maintenance of the plant and project work… From day one I have
been involved in the turnarounds, when we switch from making one
product to another. These often require major changes such as blanking
off certain lines, modifying pipework and adjusting control parameters.
The position gives me the best of both worlds, plenty of responsibility
and scope to use my initiative.."
A more recent graduate, Julie Williams, joined Kimberly-Clark after
graduating with a BEng in Chemical Engineering in 1995 and became
responsible for process engineering in a manufacturing site after
just two-and-a-half years’ work experience. "My first
job, at Sealand Mill, didn’t even involve much chemistry. I
was responsible for planning and installing all sorts of machinery,
from battery bays to on-line case packers and printers. But I still
had a really good time!"
These are just three examples of the many women who are now employed
and practising as chemical engineers. Chemical engineering is a
fascinating and challenging profession. As one of the most pervasive
branches of engineering, it offers diversity and has an impact in
virtually all aspects of life. Chemical engineers play key roles
in the chemicals, oil, water and food industries and increasingly,
these key roles are being filled by women.
Other engineering disciplines such as mechanical engineering, electrical
and electronic engineering, civil engineering and manufacturing
engineering have similar stories to tell of their women engineers.
Opportunities are available for both men and women within engineering
and the variety of jobs is enormous. Engineering is creative and
involves judgement, scientific understanding, risk taking, working
in teams and facing exciting challenges. Companies today are looking
for the right blend of skills and attributes and realise that this
can be possessed by engineering graduates of either sex.
The Author: Ady Young, Department of Chemical Engineering
and Applied Chemistry, Aston University U.K.
This article first appeared in School Leaver magazine
