Civil engineering shapes the physical world around us. It’s the field behind the infrastructure, buildings, and systems that enable modern life. As civil engineers, we take pride in contributing to human progress by literally building the foundations of society. But when I look at the demographics of the civil engineering field today, it’s clear we still have foundational work to do on ourselves. We have not yet built an inclusive profession that welcomes the full spectrum of human talent and enables everyone to thrive based on merit.

Right now, civil engineering remains a predominantly white, male field. Women make up only 13% of the profession. Hispanic and Black civil engineers each account for around 9% of the workforce despite being much larger segments of the overall population. The numbers for LGBTQ+ engineers and engineers with disabilities are likely even lower based on limited data. Some gradual progress has been made over the years, but let’s be honest – civil engineering looks nothing like the diverse country and world we aim to serve through our work.

Many argue this lack of diversity is a problem that perpetuates itself. Fewer women and minority role models lead to fewer students from those groups pursuing engineering degrees. Experiencing isolation or discrimination leads many to leave university programs or companies. Homogenous teams breed “groupthink” and lose out on perspectives that fuel innovation. The cycle continues.

But this cannot remain civil engineering’s status quo. Building a more diverse, equitable and inclusive profession aligned with our values of progress and problem-solving should be an urgent priority. Some leading firms, academics, and organizations are already taking up the charge. But it will require effort from every one of us – through individual actions and collective initiatives – to create systemic change.

In this post, let’s take a solutions-focused look at why diversity matters, the barriers holding us back, and evidence-based strategies to build a civil engineering culture with room for the rich mosaic of human identities, experiences, and talents. The time is now to take up the challenge of creating an inclusive profession representative of society. Because civil engineering shapes our shared world, and who shapes civil engineering shapes our world.

The Current State of Diversity in Civil Engineering

Let’s look at some key statistics that paint a picture of the current demographic makeup of the civil engineering field:

– Gender: Only around 13% of civil engineers are women, though this number has increased from 9% in 2000. For context, women make up 47% of the overall U.S. workforce.

– Race/Ethnicity: Approximately 9% of civil engineers identify as Black or African American and another 9% identify as Hispanic or Latino. Meanwhile, about 6% are Asian. White civil engineers make up around 75% of the field.

– LGBTQ+: There is limited data, but studies suggest LGBTQ+ individuals are underrepresented and make up less than 10% of civil engineers.

– People with Disabilities: People with disabilities appear to be substantially underrepresented in civil engineering compared to their approximately 12% share of the U.S. workforce.

Looking at educational pipelines, a similar lack of diversity persists. Only around 20% of civil engineering bachelor’s degrees are earned by women. And underrepresented minorities (Black, Hispanic, Native American and Pacific Islander students) earn just 14% of bachelor’s degrees in civil engineering. 

The demographics are slightly more balanced at the very start of the pipeline. Women make up around 30% of incoming first-year civil engineering students. However, their representation steadily drops at each step along the way, pointing to higher attrition rates among these student populations.

In summary, while small gains have been made, civil engineering remains far from reflecting the diversity of society or the overall workforce. Much work remains to recruit, retain and provide inclusive environments for women, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities and other groups.

Why Diversity and Inclusion Matter in Civil Engineering

There are many important reasons why building a more diverse and inclusive civil engineering field should be a priority:

– Talent and Innovation: Excluding large segments of the population diminishes the talent pool. Actively recruiting from diverse backgrounds allows programs and firms to select from a wealth of perspectives, experiences, styles of thinking and problem-solving abilities. This fuels innovation and creativity.

– Better Solutions: Research from fields like organizational behavior finds that diverse teams outperform homogeneous teams on complex tasks. Different viewpoints lead to better decision making, creative friction and a more thorough consideration of ideas. This is pertinent in civil engineering projects.

– Consumer Needs: The populations served by civil engineering projects are highly diverse. A field that reflects this diversity is better equipped to understand and meet infrastructure needs for communities of all backgrounds. 

– Access and Equity: Engineering offers stable, lucrative careers that can provide generational economic mobility. However, underrepresented groups have faced structural barriers to entering and staying in the field. Intentionally creating on-ramps helps ensure access and equity.

– Role Models: When students and young professionals see others like themselves thriving in civil engineering, it demonstrates a path forward and cultivates a sense of belonging – critical factors for retention.

In summary, diversity and inclusion strengthens the civil engineering field, leads to better project outcomes and expands opportunities for all.

Challenges and Barriers to Diversity and Inclusion

While progress has been made, significant challenges persist that limit diversity and inclusion in civil engineering:

– Stereotypes and Biases: Conscious and unconscious gender and racial biases can negatively impact hiring, advancement, work assignments, pay and more for marginalized groups. Stereotypes also discourage some students from pursuing engineering.

– Workplace Culture: Male-dominated “engineering cultures” can create inhospitable environments for women and minorities via insensitive language, lack of flexibility, limited mentorship/sponsorship and more. This contributes to higher turnover.

– Lack of Role Models: With limited minority and women engineers, younger students lack mentorship and visible role models. This makes it harder to picture themselves succeeding in the field.

– Work/Life Integration: Inflexible expectations around work hours and availability can cause conflicts with caregiving responsibilities that still disproportionately fall on women. This also spurs turnover.

– Limited Outreach: Many underrepresented students have less exposure to engineering role models and hands-on learning opportunities that spark early interest in the field.

– Academic Barriers: From stereotype threat to imposter syndrome to learning style mismatches, the academic engineering environment can be isolating for women and minority students. This reduces retention.

Overcoming these barriers will take concerted, multi-pronged efforts by both industry and academia focused on systemic change.

Strategies for Improving Diversity and Inclusion 

A wide range of initiatives are needed from multiple stakeholders to build a more diverse, equitable and inclusive civil engineering field. Here are some evidence-based strategies that can make an impact:

K-12 Outreach and Mentoring

– Summer camps, after-school clubs and in-classroom learning activities that engage elementary through high school students in engineering design challenges can spark early interest – especially when incorporating diverse role models and mentors.

– Site visits to active construction projects cultivate enthusiasm by showing infrastructure projects firsthand. Virtual tours are also an option.

– Mentoring programs that match practicing engineers with students provide critical guidance on education pathways while building community.

Supporting Women and Underrepresented Groups in College

– Need-based scholarships help make civil engineering degrees financially attainable for low-income students by covering tuition, fees, living expenses and more.

– Identity-based organizations like the Society of Women Engineers, National Society of Black Engineers and Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers foster community and support retention in degree programs.

– Faculty mentoring programs provide academic guidance and community for women and minority civil engineering majors to increase graduation rates.

– Leadership, professional development and skill-building opportunities equip students with success skills like teamwork, communication, confidence and more.

Recruiting a Diverse Workforce

– Structured internship initiatives recruit students from underrepresented backgrounds and historically black colleges and universities.

– Sourcing strategies should expand beyond top-tier schools to intentionally include women’s colleges, minority-serving institutions and non-elite schools.

– Diverse interview panels, inclusive job post language, and structured interviews curb the influence of bias in hiring processes.

– Application questions that allow candidates to demonstrate skills beyond just technical abilities (e.g. collaboration, creativity) expand the talent pool.

Promoting Inclusive Work Environments 

– Employee resource groups for women, people of color, LGBTQ+ workers and other groups creates community and signals inclusion.

– Bias mitigation training, mentoring/sponsorship, and networking opportunities enable equitable access to assignments, projects and promotions.

– Flexible work arrangements, remote options, and generous leave policies support work/life integration and retention for all.

– Visible commitment to diversity, inclusion and equity in workplace policies, on websites and in posters/signaling communicates that all are welcome.

Leadership and Accountability

– Diversity initiatives require buy-in from leadership. Senior management must clearly articulate diversity and inclusion as organizational priorities through words and actions.

– Quantitative diversity goals allow organizations to set representation targets and measure progress over time. Accountability mechanisms tie progress to incentives.

– Employee surveys gather data directly from marginalized groups on the current culture and where efforts fall short. Anonymous feedback channels also allow open input.

– Diversity and inclusion committees or task forces ensure dedicated staff resources and enable employee participation in shaping organizational initiatives.

Looking Ahead: A Vision for a More Diverse and Inclusive Field 

While change takes time, a future civil engineering field that lives up to ideals of diversity, equity and inclusion is possible. Here’s an aspirational vision:

– Civil engineering degree programs, leadership roles, and worksites that reflect society and allow all individuals to thrive based on merit.

– Workplace cultures known for flexibility, respect, mentorship and sponsorship that enable all engineers to integrate their work and personal lives. 

– Events, curricula and spaces that recognize and celebrate diverse cultures, identities, and perspectives.

– Policy and systems – from college admissions to performance reviews – designed intentionally to be free from bias and promote equity.

– Full representation and participation of communities historically excluded from infrastructure planning, design and construction processes.

– Expanded pathways into the field through apprenticeships and career transition programs to allow workers of all backgrounds to access stable engineering careers.

Realizing this vision will require sustained focus from every organization, program, and individual in the field to enact the types of tangible strategies and systemic changes outlined in this article. But this hard work is essential for building an engineering field that lives up to its ideals of improving life for all.

Conclusion

While civil engineering has made gradual progress, much work remains to build a truly diverse and inclusive field. Given the benefits this brings, improving representation and experiences for women, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities and other groups should be an urgent priority. It will require addressing root causes, dismantling barriers and implementing evidence-based strategies for change. With concerted effort across the entire civil engineering community, a field that welcomes and supports the full spectrum of talent is achievable. This goal is deeply tied to the values of equality and progress that civil engineering espouses. An inclusive field leads to better solutions and access to life-changing opportunities. The time is now to reimagine and recreate civil engineering as a field representative of our diverse society that enables everyone to thrive.