The degree, the dream, the dilemma

Engineering in Pakistan carries a familiar promise: a structured degree, a respected profession and a stable career path. For many women who enter the field, however, that promise does not translate cleanly into reality. The degree is earned. The title is acquired. The pathway after that often becomes uncertain.

Yet, the story of women in engineering is not defined by barriers alone. It is a story of persistence, adaptation and increasingly, achievement. As the world marks International Women in Engineering Day on June 23, the experiences of Pakistani women in the field reveal both how far the profession has come and how much ground remains to be covered.

The day is intended to highlight women in technical professions and encourage greater participation in engineering worldwide. Its significance is often measured less in celebration and more in reflection - on how many women enter the field and how many remain in it.

Globally, women account for around 11 per cent of engineering roles. In Pakistan, women are estimated to occupy fewer than 5 per cent of engineering supervisory positions. Some surveys suggest that nearly 70 per cent of female engineering graduates are either unemployed or have left the profession entirely. These figures do not point to a lack of ability. They point to structural challenges - or the lack of adequate support systems.

Unfinished paths

Behind the statistics are stories that formal reports often miss but continue to surface in conversations among women engineers.

In Karachi, a 27-year-old mechanical engineering graduate, *Ayesha Siddiqui, a former student of NED University, now working in a retail operations role at a private logistics firm, describes a shift that happened gradually after graduation rather than at any single point of decision. “Out of the 24 engineers in my batch,” she said, “maybe eight are working as engineers now. The rest either switched fields, started their own businesses or are doing sales roles with the engineer title attached.”

She added that this was not limited to women. Even among her male classmates in mechatronics, she noted, many had moved away from core engineering after several years. Her conclusion was blunt rather than emotional: in her view, if the goal is long-term stability in Pakistan, fields such as software engineering or data science offer clearer pathways than traditional mechanical engineering roles.

A 29-year-old civil engineer, *Sara Mansoor, currently working with a multinational FMCG company in supply chain planning, offered a different perspective. She did not describe engineering as inaccessible, but rather as a field where opportunities are unevenly distributed. “Gender plays a role, yes,” she shared. “But in MNCs, there are structured hiring targets. Sometimes that works in your favour. You’re not competing with the entire pool in the same way, especially for office-based engineering roles.”

She paused before adding a second point that complicated the first. “But if you want hardcore field engineering in oil and gas, construction sites or fertiliser plants, it becomes very difficult. Not always formally, but practically. The environment, the mobility and the expectation are still largely built for men.”

Her experience reflects a pattern that appears repeatedly in corporate engineering roles: greater inclusion in planning and design but limited access to field execution.

A software engineer turned developer, *Hina Rauf, an electrical engineering graduate now working at a fintech startup, described her career shift in occupational terms rather than identity terms. “I studied electrical engineering,” she elucidated. “But now I work in software. The reason is simple; pay, flexibility and stability.”

She described engineering as a degree that remains valuable, but not always directly applicable in the job market. “In Pakistan, computer science and IT offer greater opportunities for growth. You can work remotely, upskill more quickly and are not dependent on site-based jobs.”

Her perspective was not one of regret, but of adaptation - a common theme among graduates who remain technically trained yet have transitioned into different professional fields.

A different kind of concern came from *Sana Khalid, a Mechatronics graduate from the University of Engineering and Technology Lahore, who is currently pursuing opportunities abroad for further studies. Her focus was not solely on job availability but also on working conditions.

“Mechanical engineering in Pakistan has very limited scope if you want a stable, urban job,” she explained. “Most roles are site-based or in industries where women are still underrepresented.”

She described remote postings as a major barrier. “Those sites are still almost entirely male-dominated environments. Even when you are qualified, companies hesitate because of concerns related to logistics, accommodation, travel and safety.”

Her conclusion was cautious rather than dismissive. “If you plan to go abroad, it makes sense. Otherwise, you need to be very clear about what you are stepping into.”

For every woman who leaves engineering for software development, sales, administration or an entirely different profession, there is a larger trend unfolding beneath the surface. The challenge is not simply getting women into engineering classrooms; it is ensuring there is a place for them once they leave them.

The missing workforce

How does Pakistan’s labour market actually look for women engineers?

The numbers paint a sobering picture. A recent PRIDE/Gallup analysis of the Labour Force Survey found that only 28 per cent of Pakistani women engineering graduates were employed in 2020-21. The rest were either unemployed (20.9 per cent) or out of the labour force entirely (50.9 per cent). In urban areas, 59 per cent of female engineers have dropped out of the workforce altogether. By contrast, 70 per cent of male engineering graduates remain employed or seeking work. In effect, only three in ten female engineers are currently employed, while seven in ten are not working.”

Sector breakdowns also reveal gender and geography divides. Rural female engineers are more likely to work (43.9 per cent employed in one analysis) but overall numbers are small. Married women constitute 64 per cent of those who leave the labour force, suggesting that family responsibilities play a major role in workforce attrition. Fields that show somewhat higher female participation are often more urban and office-based. For example, a Women in Energy report notes that only 3 per cent of engineers in the energy transmission/distribution are women. In construction and heavy industries, including large-scale mechanical and civil engineering projects, female representation remains very low due to challenging site conditions and entrenched gender norms.

By contrast, computer and software-related fields have global demand and relatively higher female enrollment. Pakistan’s official statistics are not fine-grained enough to provide a detailed comparison, but industry feedback is clear: IT and telecommunications employ a significantly higher proportion of women. Urban technology hubs such as Karachi and Lahore are witnessing a growing number of female software developers, data scientists and network engineers. International outsourcing opportunities and coding boot camps also offer clearer career pathways. One survey respondent noted that the Pakistani companies currently hiring women engineers are often consumer goods or technology firms with gender-diversity targets, whereas textile, fertiliser and oil and gas companies continue to hire predominantly men.

Policies and practices

Given these challenges, what can change? For starters, Pakistan needs to develop gender-responsive engineering policies. For example, a Gallup report based on the Gallup World Poll, which surveyed respondents across 107 countries, urges the government to “reassess the allocation of seats in public-sector engineering colleges” to ensure that public resources generate economic returns. The report notes that billions spent on subsidised education are effectively wasted if graduates do not enter the workforce.

Policymakers should also enforce workplace equality laws, including protections related to safe working hours and maternity leave, expand scholarships for female STEM students and require measures such as onsite childcare facilities and safe transportation arrangements for women posted to remote sites. Local governments can further support women’s participation by funding vocational programmes that prepare them for employment in high-growth sectors.

Despite these challenges, the outlook is not entirely bleak. While traditional engineering sectors have been slow to change, newer industries and targeted initiatives are creating opportunities that did not exist a decade ago.

Technology remains one of the most accessible career pathways. Industry feedback consistently points to strong demand for software developers, data scientists and other technology professionals, particularly in major urban centres such as Karachi and Lahore. As a result, many engineering graduates are increasingly combining traditional technical training with digital skills to enhance their employment prospects.

Renewable energy is also opening new doors. One recent example is the LadiesFund Energy initiative, which trained female engineering students from institutions including NED University and Dawood University of Engineering and Technology in solar installation and deployment. The participants went on to form Pakistan’s first all-female solar installation team, completing a 24-kilowatt solar-plus-battery system at an orphanage in Karachi.A participant, Eman Batool, an electrical engineering graduate now working in renewable energy installations, described the experience in simple terms. “We were not observing. We were doing the actual installation - wiring, mounting, testing, all of it.”

For many observers, the project’s significance extended beyond renewable energy. It demonstrated that women engineers are fully capable of carrying out technical fieldwork when given access to training, mentorship and practical opportunities. The country’s growing ambitions in space technology tell a similar story. In July 2025, Pakistan launched its fourth Earth Observation Satellite in collaboration with China and reiterated its goal of sending a Pakistani mission to the Moon by 2035. During the launch ceremony, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal specifically highlighted the contributions of women engineers who were part of the mission team, describing their participation as a source of pride and encouraging more young women to pursue careers in science and engineering.

That acknowledgement matters. For decades, women in engineering were largely absent from discussions about major national infrastructure, energy and technology projects. Today, whether in renewable energy installations, robotics laboratories, construction sites or satellite programmes, they are increasingly becoming part of the conversation and, more importantly, part of the workforce shaping the country’s future.

From challenges

to change

It is clear that Pakistan’s female engineers face a paradox. On one hand, the country has produced extraordinary role models and demonstrated that women can excel in any engineering discipline. On the other, social and structural barriers prevent many from remaining in the profession.

Thankfully, attitudes are beginning to shift. The government’s stated goal of sending a mission to the Moon by 2035 signals greater investment in STEM, and ministers are increasingly emphasising women’s inclusion as part of that vision. Space agencies such as SUPARCO have established gender-mainstreaming committees, while the private sector is recognising that innovation thrives on diverse teams.

For young women considering careers in engineering, the advice is pragmatic: network aggressively. Attend tech meetups, connect with professionals on LinkedIn, and target universities with strong internship programmes and active career placement services. For example, many technology companies recruit from FAST-NUCES and NUST. Be willing to diversify your skill set; learning coding, statistics, or renewable energy technologies alongside your major can make you more competitive. If initial job opportunities are difficult to find, consider related fields. For instance, civil engineers working in construction management or real estate development can later pivot back into design roles.

In public life and the media, celebrating International Women in Engineering Day is part of planting hope. Each year, events at universities and across industry highlight how Pakistan’s economy depends on fully engaging its women, including in laboratories, factories, boardrooms and launch pads. The World Bank and the UN have noted that empowering Pakistani women in STEM could add billions to the country’s GDP. Beyond dollars and cents, the transformation is also deeply personal: as one young engineer put it on social media, seeing women on rocket teams and in coding competitions “shows that we belong here too.”

The engineers of Pakistan – both women and men – are standing at a threshold. By nurturing the next generation of female engineers, reforming outdated workplace practices and fostering mentorship and training, Pakistan can ensure that the powerful stories we hear today become the everyday norm tomorrow. The successes of the many women in this field are not just isolated triumphs; they are the footholds of a new, inclusive climb toward a future where talent and hard work, rather than gender, define an engineer. As Minister Iqbal stated at the satellite launch, “Our talented women engineers… are breaking barriers and excelling in every field, from science and technology to leadership.” The outcome will depend on whether engineering in Pakistan evolves as a system, not merely as a degree. Progress is visible. It is also still incomplete.

*Names have been changed to maintain privacy

The writer is a subeditor at You! Magazine. She can be reached at [email protected]