The proportion of female to male students awarded undergraduate engineering degrees in Canada has been steadily increasing. In 2020, the total number of engineering degrees awarded totaled 18,185, with 22.8% of those degrees awarded to women. The total number of female students matriculating from undergraduate programs in 2020 has increased by approximately 45% compared to 2016.
Women were well-represented in several disciplines, including biosystems engineering, geological engineering, and chemical engineering, where they comprised 50.5%, 44.8%, and 41.2% of the undergraduate degree holders in those disciplines. However, in 2020, female-identifying students represented a smaller proportion of students matriculating with undergraduate degrees in electrical engineering (15.6%), mechanical engineering (15.2%), and mining or mineral engineering (11.7 %).
Additional Resources
- Engineers Canada. (2021). Canadian engineers for tomorrow: Trends in engineering enrolment and degrees awarded 2016-2020.
