FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

8 October 2018

Interviews with Mark and exclusive thought pieces available for publication - contact Mark onmark@equalengineers.comor 07877089036.

Masculinity in Engineering Survey

EqualEngineers is launching its first survey investigating masculinity in engineering in time for World Mental Health Day (10 October 2018), a first-of-its-kind for the sector. The survey will be open for 5 weeks, closing on 16 November 2018.

Engineering and technology in the UK is a predominately male profession, with men comprising over 89% of the workforce. Many diversity efforts pivot on getting more women into engineering.

This survey will explore if the culture of engineering is affected by the stereotype of what an engineer looks like, and how men are expected to behave. Do men feel included or excluded in the push to increase diversity? Could a more diverse profession benefit both women and men?
 
Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50, with male construction workers 3.7 times more likely to take their own life. Are men able to be open about their mental health challenges, or is the stigmatisation too great? Does this manifest itself as a macho culture in the workplace or on-site which prevents an inclusive culture?
 
This survey would like to know your views and opinions - the real ones, not the ones that you feel that you should express. We expect respondents to give us their real answers, not just the "right" answers.

The survey is the brainchild of Dr Mark McBride-Wright, Managing Director of EqualEngineers, who set the company up after years of working in the sector and seeing not only the challenges that the lack of diversity can bring, but also the risks posed to health, safety and wellbeing. Being a gay safety engineer himself, and setting up networking group InterEngineering for LGBT+ engineers gave him the drive to set up an organisation covering all aspects of diversity.

Mark says:

"For me, inclusivity in the workplace is a health and safety issue. Not being able to be open about who you are, because of attitudes and lack of diversity around you can lead to mental health issues and decreased wellbeing. In construction, for example, an industry where suicide rates among men are more than three times the national average, more needs to be done to ensure that commitment to these issues goes much further than token inclusion policies.

My hopes for this survey is to capture the voice of men in the engineering and tech industries, individuals who perhaps feel excluded from the focus on diversity and inclusion efforts of organisations. We need to rapidly overhaul the way in which we approach culture change programmes within our industry, and we need to ensure everyone feels included, and is able to find their voice as part of the diversity narrative."

Ian Childs, Executive Manager, Morson International says:

"As the UK's No.1 Technical Recruiter, Morson engages with a huge engineering community. Our business has taken great strides to improve the diversity of our contractor population, doubling the number of female engineers we employ. Now it's time to look deeper and assess how these cultural changes affect the workforce as a whole. The stigma around mental health keeps too many people silent. Safety is paramount in many of the sectors that we operate in and whilst employers take great strides in protecting their people from physical harm, the same effort is now needed to address mental ill health. We are pleased to be supporting EqualEngineers in this study."

Initial results from the EqualEngineers Masculinity in Engineering Survey will be reported on International Men's Day on 19th November.

For more information, visit http://bit.ly/EEMasculinitySurvey.

To take survey directly, visit https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/EqEngMasculinitySurvey.

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Interviews with Mark and exclusive thought pieces available for publication - contact Mark onmark@equalengineers.com or 07877089036.

Notes to Editors

About EqualEngineers

EqualEngineers was set up to make the Engineering & Technology sectors more diverse and inclusive.  Their belief is that the sector lacks in diversity and inclusion of under-represented groups, which is proven to increase performance, growth and innovation, as well as improve health, safety and wellbeing. EqualEngineers provide a solution to this through training, recruitment, media and events.

About Dr Mark McBride-Wright CEng MIChemE

Mark McBride-Wright, PhD, CEng, IChemE is a recognised diversity and inclusion leader. He is Founder and Managing Director of EqualEngineers, a company focused on connecting inclusive employers with diverse talent in the engineering and technology sectors and offering a wide array of D&I consultancy services alongside annual careers fairs and networking events. He is also Chair and Co-Founder of InterEngineering, a non-profit industry body that connects, informs and empowers LGBT+ engineers and supporters with a membership of over 1,000 engineers across 4 regional groups across the UK. Mark is Founding Member of the Diversity and Inclusion Working Group for the Institute of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), External Advisor to the Metropolitan Police, sitting on their Strategic Inclusion Diversity & Equality (STRIDE) Board, Diversity Board Member for the University of Kent, and Advisory Member to the Diversity & Inclusion Steering Committee of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

In recognition of his diversity work, Mark won the coveted 'Corporate Rising Star' award at the 2016 British LGBT Awards and was ranked #2 in the 2015 Financial Times Future LGBT Leaders list (#6 in 2016). In addition, he was 'Highly Commended' at the Inclusive Networks Awards (2015), shortlisted for the 'Corporate Equality Award' by PinkNews (2016), and is a regular speaker at the London Business School. He has worked with many Fortune 50 companies on D&I programs and talent engagement strategies and has also authored a white paper for the UK Government on tackling homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying in engineering. Mark is a Chartered Engineer (IChemE) by training with a focus on health and safety, having worked at KBR Inc (2013-2017) and ERM (2012-2013) before pursuing his work in diversity. He also holds a doctorate (PhD) in chemical engineering at Imperial College London (2009-2013).

Awards & Accolades

• Winner 2016 "Corporate Rising Star" British LGBT Awards
• #2 in 2015 Financial Times Future LGBT Leaders list (#6 2016)
• Shortlisted, "Young Chemical Engineer in Industry", 2016 IChemE Global Awards
• InterEngineering, "Highly Commended" at 2015 Inclusive Networks Awards
• InterEngineering, Shortlisted for "LGBT Community Group of the Year", 2016 National Diversity Awards
• InterEngineering, Shortlisted "Corporate Equality Award", 2016 PinkNews Awards