The Current State of Gender-based Diversity within the Field of Canadian Professional Structural Timber Engineering

Abstract

There is currently minimal data that may be used for retention and recruitment strategies for timber professional engineering in Canada. A comprehensive survey performed in 2022 to address this lack of data is discussed. The survey was generated and analyzed by York University (Canada) and distributed through the Canadian Wood Council’s membership directory. This survey explored participants’ motivations for working on timber-based structural projects and the existing state of EDI training within the workspace. Findings from the context of analysis illustrated that retention in the work force appears not to be affected by gender, with participants overwhelmingly indicating their plan is to continue to work in the timber structural engineering sector. Gender specific findings suggest that most men who practice timber structural design have had more recorded work experience, whereas women were more likely to obtain a PhD when pursuing graduate school.