International Women’s Day 2023 – Cracking the Code: Innovation for a gender equal future

In today’s increasingly digital world, access to technology is no longer a luxury, but a necessity. As we celebrate International Women’s Day 2023 we asked Engineering Manager Biljana Stevanovic, and Estimator Li Liu, what this year’s theme “Cracking the Code: Innovation for a gender equal future’” means to them and how we can encourage young girls and women to take up careers in STEM.

We often hear about the challenges of increasing the representation of women in engineering, but Biljana’s positive experience when starting her career in Serbia is one that can be replicated here in Australia. It all starts with education.

“The education system is quite different to Australia,” Biljana explained. “I went to a mathematics high school where maths and science were the main subjects and it was a 50-50 ratio of boys to girls…girls were encouraged just as much as the boys were to take up these subjects.”

Li had a similar experience during her time as a student in China. “There was never a question of whether STEM was for boys or for girls. Just as many girls were studying engineering as there were studying fashion or nursing.”

“As an estimator working in Australia over the past 25 years, it’s great to see that Australian education systems are seriously working towards encouraging girls to studying STEM.”

Increasing the representation of women in engineering introduces a more diverse range of experience and perspectives, leading to more innovative and effective solutions that better serve the needs of our communities.

Biljana sees a great future for anyone interested in becoming an engineer because there are so many career opportunities. “If I was going to encourage young girls to consider a career in engineering, I would tell them that there is no reason why girls shouldn’t study STEM…and to keep developing a love of maths and spatial awareness.”