The History of Women in Engineering in the UK

The conference is of interest to historians and academics, professional engineers, museum curators, archivists, and others involved in and interested in the gender history, women’s history, and the history of science, technology, engineering, and medicine (STEM) as well as those who teach and lecture in these areas.

Established in 1919 in the immediate aftermath of the First World War, the Women's Engineering Society (WES) provided a focal point for demands by women for a role and voice in the engineering industry as well as its societies and institutions. However, the foundation of WES does not mark the origins of women in engineering in Britain but rather forms part of a longer history stretching back to the nineteenth century and possibly beyond. This event aims to explore the longer history of women in engineering and to better understand the diverse roles of women in British engineering in nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It will looks at how women engineers faced the challenges of crossing gender boundaries, sometimes with the support of professional engineering bodies such as the IEE (Institution of Electrical Engineers, now the IET).

Organiser

Organised by the History of Technology TPN. Contact Anne Locker at alocker@theiet.org for more information.