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n the spirit of this year’s Black History Month – Time for Change: Actions not words – I have sought to explore practical examples of how Black women experience engineering today.

This article will focus on the experience of Black women in engineering workplaces and institutions, exploring their underrepresentation, systemic factors which contribute, and how Black women, allies, organisations, and the engineering industry more broadly, might “take action”.

This is a complex and diverse issue, experienced differently by each member of the community also in a way that is impacted by socioeconomic status, geography, politics, age, sex, gender identity, religion, and other identifiable characteristics.

When researching this piece, I found it difficult to find data reflecting a lack of research in this area. However, anecdotal experiences and US-based evidence does point to a low number of Black women entering the engineering profession.

Literature often fails to capture this, comparing either Black/Ethnic Minority and White participants, or comparing women to men. As a result, we are less equipped to improve diversity in the workforce and take action to enable all stakeholders to benefit from the increased representation of Black women.

It is no secret that diversity boosts productivity, innovation, and profitability, and it should also be acknowledged that Black women can make particularly valuable contributions to the workplace, drawing on built resilience, cultural capital, social access points and much more.

Intersectionality and invisible (Black) women

Black men and Black women have differing experiences of engineering owing to the additional characteristic assumed by the latter. To help us understand this, we need to explore intersectionality - an “analytical framework for understanding how aspects of a person’s social and political identities combine to create different modes of discrimination and privilege.” In this case, gender and race cannot be treated as if though their unique impacts are distinct and variable. If they are Black women will disappear in research and data.

As such, programmes and resources focusing on race or gender representation in any industry simply don’t address the needs of Black women. Instead, this group of people need a unique and specific analysis and approach to avoid becoming invisible.  

Black women face several challenges that operate systemically against their participation in engineering, as noted in Ignored Potential: A collaborative roadmap for increasing African-American Women in Engineering: “Lack of visible role models in engineering, stereotype threat, biculturalism, tokenism, feelings of isolation, and pay inequities in the engineering workforce are all factors at play.”

The two which stand out to me as overlooked in the workplace include stereotype threat and tokenism:

• Stereotype threat – In response to the feared consequence of conforming to the negative stereotypes associated with Black women, many of us choose to identify with a group associated with a positive stereotype as a means of survival. Evidence suggests that this negatively impacts performance however and can have a detrimental impact on the ability to succeed at work. Instead of focusing on the task at hand, Black women might be preoccupied with social preservation tactics to avoid bias from their colleagues and employers.
  
  
• Tokenism – The practice of ‘including’ an individual belonging to a minority group to give the appearance of social inclusion, diversity, and equality. This doesn’t do what you think it might however, failing to benefit or advantage the said ‘token’ and instead often has the opposite effect. Perceived tokens are actually heavily scrutinised and expected to do tasks not within their job description – for example, Diversity and inclusion work or administrative tasks.

It is no secret that diversity boosts productivity, innovation, and profitability, and it should also be acknowledged that Black women can make particularly valuable contributions to the workplace, drawing on built resilience, cultural capital, social access points and much more. Jenny-Aimée Nzabandora (Arcadis)

Tackling the issue

This Guardian article highlights perspectives that education is key to addressing this issue. This is what programmes like the Royal Academy of Engineering’s ‘Design to Inspire’ and ‘Engineering Engagement Programme’ led by Bola Fatimilehin hope to combat. The article also points to a new initiative called Black Women in Engineering which seeks to advance and retain Black female talent across engineering sectors and disciplines through networking events, career and self-development workshops, wellness workshops, and even an engineering taster programme.

I highly recommend engaging in the approach discussed in, Ignored potential: A Collaborative Roadmap for Increasing African American Women in Engineering. It features a comprehensive and targeted action-plan for professional organisations, the engineering industry, policy makers, educational institutions, parents and families, faith and community-based organisations and researchers.

As a Black woman working within the engineering industry, I would like to say to other Black women, educate yourself on our situation - be aware of the challenges we face in the field, and equip yourself with the skills and knowledge to circumvent social barriers as best as possible.

To the engineering organisations and businesses, I would say, education, education, education. Support your leaders to learn and influence your strategy, partner with specialist organisations and subject matter experts. Roll out programmes and mentoring schemes that will be of benefit to Black women. Finally, reach out to your existing employees to provide support and ensure visibility for Black women. Doing so will help increase your retention.

Jenny-Aimée Nzabandora works at Arcadis and is a member of ACE’s Emerging Professionals.

This article forms part of a series released following Black History Month and is shared as part of ACE’s Building Inclusivity campaign.