When it comes to women in engineering, Canada’s numbers are surprisingly low. They are substantially outperformed by countries like Panama and Colombia, both of which have near parity when it comes to the ratio of women to men in engineering (despite having to contend with far greater levels of instability than Canada).

Our guest today, Claudia Gomez-Villeneuve, is uniquely qualified to talk on the topic of women in engineering in Canada, having emigrated from Colombia during her studies and overcoming tremendous barriers to entry in the process. She is also the co-founder, Principal, and two times Chair of the Women in Engineering Summit (WES), a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the 30 by 30 Initiative by Engineers Canada.

In our conversation with Claudia, we unpack Canada’s low enrollment rates, how it varies across the country, and what can be done about it. We discuss the various systemic issues that cause so many women to leave the field of engineering, the major obstacles Claudia has faced in her career, and how she had to fight to overcome them. Claudia also shares her tips for women struggling to navigate their engineering careers and offers sage advice to workplaces on how they can ensure the retention of their female workers. The world needs engineers, and now more than ever, it needs the unique perspective that female engineers have to offer.

Tune in for this inspiring conversation, where we break down the systemic issues within the field of science and engineering, and the important work people are doing to change it!

Key Points From This Episode:

• The importance of removing systemic barriers to women entering the field of engineering, and giving them a fair chance to succeed.
• Claudia provides a breakdown of the seven key obstacles she faced in her career and her studies, and how she had to work around them.
• Understanding how obstacles force many women to leave the field of engineering.
• Claudia’s thoughts on the systemic issues that resulted in her pay being lower than her male counterparts and not being considered for management positions.
• Why needing to negotiate for your salary is an unreasonable expectation for workers.
• The networking that happens outside of work and how it excludes women, immigrants, and anyone who doesn’t have a close friendship with higher-level executives.
• Learn about the 30 by 30 initiative and its specific targets for increasing the number of women in the field of engineering by 2030. 
• The percentage of women in Canada who pursue engineering and its low enrollment rates compared to many other countries.
• Examples of areas in Canada where enrolment rates have improved considerably thanks to grassroots campaigns.
• Claudia’s tips on how to change your salary, find flexible work opportunities, and thrive in the workplace as a woman.
• Claudia’s advice for workplaces on how to support women in engineering.
• The Women in Engineering Summit in 2023 and how women can sign up.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Claudia Gomez-Villeneuve

Claudia Gomez-Villeneuve on LinkedIn

Women in Engineering Summit

Enbridge Inc

Engineers Canada

30 by 30 Conference

30 by 30 Virtual Conference

Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion

Leader Talks with Anne-Marie Pham