Traditional ideas of masculinity – toughness, self-reliance, and relentless focus – have shaped the engineering profession for decades, driving immense economic growth whilst also creating a culture that can feel rigid and isolating, especially for those who don’t fit the mold.
As societal conversations about diversity and inclusion expand, men – particularly those in male-dominated sectors like engineering – may sometimes feel positioned as part of the problem rather than as part of the solution. This perception can lead to caution and, at times, defensiveness, especially when discussing topics around gender and inclusion.
Yet beneath this hesitation lies a more personal struggle: for many men in the field, conforming to narrow definitions of “success” often means sacrificing emotional well-being and work-life balance. The impact on mental health and career satisfaction has been significant, leading to documented retention issues and a shortage of diverse perspectives across the industry.
Two leaders navigating this issue are Ed McCann, former President of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and Senior Director of Expedition Engineering and the Useful Simple Trust, and Mark McBride-Wright, Director of EqualEngineers. Through their work, both have sought to challenge the rigid structures of masculinity in engineering, opening doors for a culture that is more diverse, more empathetic, and ultimately, more human.
Starting the journey
Growing up with two working parents and an extended family of outspoken, opinionated, and unapologetically assertive women, Ed McCann developed a core belief early on that opportunity and capability are not determined by gender.
“This was my model,” McCann reflects. “There was no ‘man’s role’ or ‘woman’s role’ in my family. That’s just what life was like, it was never a discussion.”
It’s this background that, he believes, underpins his feminist values. Throughout his career, McCann has taken critical steps to lift up women to senior positions whilst shifting the expectations placed on men, witnessing a dramatic evolution in the conversation around gender equity since he started.
Speaking on his experience of masculinity in the sector, McCann shared:
“When I entered the profession 30 years ago, there was no room for men to talk about emotional engagement or mental health, let alone family responsibilities.”
Today, a younger generation of men in engineering is starting to talk about their feelings, their struggles with mental health, and their desire to spend more time with their families. Yet, it’s slow and uneven progress, with many parts of the sector, especially industries like construction, stubbornly resistant to change.
The masculinity trap
While a wider societal movement has started to raise conversations around what it means to be a man, many parts of the engineering sector have maintained a culture in which men are confined by narrow definitions of masculinity, and where women are forced into a series of impossible choices.
“Civil engineering has a real issue,” McCann says. “There are countless talented women working astonishingly hard to reach a certain point in their careers, only to find themselves choosing between their professional aspirations and their family life.”
Despite progress in tackling legal discrimination in Western societies, McCann argues that “the domestic contract,” where women overwhelmingly bear caregiving responsibilities, remains largely unchanged. Paired with the volatile workloads inherent to project-based work, he believes this imbalance is a major factor behind the poor retention and advancement of women in engineering, with only 26.8% of women reportedly staying in engineering roles and only 9% of engineers at the top career grade being women.
But men are also trapped, he argues, expected to put work first, to be tough, emotionally distant, and consumed by their careers. As McCann sees it, the solution isn’t just about making space for women – it’s about breaking down the toxic norms that trap everyone. A key part of that solution, he believes, lies in leadership.
Over the years, McCann has worked to foster a more inclusive culture within his teams by personally focussing on the progression of women through mentorship and recruitment. “At the Useful Simple Trust, we have a cadre of senior women who have created an environment that is inclusive for all and that, importantly, women want to step into.”
Alongside his team, McCann has also pushed for hybrid working and gender-neutral parental leave policies. But change is hard. “When we introduced gender-neutral leave, it took years for men to start taking it up,” he recalls. “The domestic contract model is really baked in.” Without explicit encouragement from employers and role modelling from colleagues, traditional gender norms are tough to crack.
For Mark McBride-Wright, dismantling these norms is essential – not just for gender equity, but for the psychological safety of engineering professionals.
Since 2019, McBride-Wright’s organisation, EqualEngineers, has published two surveys on ‘Masculinity in Engineering’, revealing stark data on mental health and burnout among men in the field. Notably, the reports signal that over 70% of engineers believe that men are expected to control their emotions by not showing weakness, fear or crying openly, and that 1 in 5 engineers have lost a colleague to suicide.
Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50, with male construction workers 3.7 times more likely to take their own life compared to the national average (EqualEngineers).
But the survey also unearthed something else – an undercurrent of frustration among men who felt left out of the diversity conversation. “You’d be surprised at the number of men who ask, ‘Why do we need all this talk about diversity? When’s it going to be Men’s Day?’”
While these comments can feel like backlash, McBride-Wright sees them as something more – a signal that men in engineering are, themselves, grappling with what it means to be a man in today’s world; that there is a fear that all this talk about inclusion means men are being left behind.
Tearing down the old model
What McBride-Wright and McCann both emphasise is that changing the culture of engineering doesn’t just benefit women or minority groups – it benefits everyone. Breaking down the traditional masculine ideals that dominate the industry creates space for new types of leadership, ones that prioritise empathy, collaboration, and emotional intelligence.
McBride-Wright explains, “engineers are practical people. We like things that work. We like evidence. So when you show engineers that more inclusive teams are more productive, more innovative, that’s when you start to see a shift.” McCann agrees:
“I tend to be utilitarian in my worldview. I’m interested in diversity and inclusion because it creates better outcomes; I don’t find it helpful to frame this because it’s fair. My lived experience is that an inclusive culture is better for everyone – we have more ideas, we collaborate better, we’re more productive, and everyone feels safe.”
So, how do we get there?
For McCann, fostering gender equity in engineering starts with one clear principle: making more room for women to lead, even if that means stepping back at times.
While this stance might seem to confirm concerns that inclusive policies push men aside, McCann’s point is quite the opposite. His approach is grounded in a candid self-assessment of his own leadership. Though he’s long championed feminist values, McCann acknowledges that certain ingrained habits – many shaped by traditionally masculine traits – led him to unintentionally overshadow other voices on his team and hinder wider cultural change.
Qualities like decisiveness and a readiness to take risks have fueled his career and enriched his projects. However, McCann has also learnt that these traits, if unchecked, can sometimes “get in the way” of building a culture where every team member feels confident to share their ideas and lead in their own way. By adjusting his leadership style and lifting up a generation of leaders committed to transforming working relationships, McCann and his team have fostered lasting cultural change that enables everyone, men included, to thrive and feel seen.
Building on McCann’s vision, McBride-Wright believes that men need a greater understanding of their role within the diversity conversation. He encourages men to reflect on and share their own unique experiences, backgrounds, and challenges, and for inclusion initiatives to actively highlight men’s “diversity stories”. In doing so, men can see how they fit into the wider diversity landscape, making them more likely to champion inclusive efforts and appreciate the positive impact of a genuinely diverse workplace.
McBride-Wright adds another crucial layer. He suggests that combatting the significant mental health crisis in engineering requires companies to prioritise psychological safety with the same rigour as physical safety on any engineering project. Psychological safety, he argues, forms the bedrock of a culture where people feel respected and safe to contribute fully – a space where leaders truly listen, people can show vulnerability, and new ideas can flourish.
Both McCann and McBride-Wright recognise that dismantling rigid definitions of masculinity and allowing new models to emerge that better fit today’s evolving culture and workplace is essential for progress in engineering. This shift will not only enrich the working environment for engineers themselves but also ensure projects more thoughtfully consider and address the diverse communities they impact.
As engineering moves toward a culture of inclusivity, it has the potential to drive positive change on a scale that reaches far beyond the industry itself.
Update: EqualEngineers’ 2024 Masculinity in Engineering survey is now open. Participate in the survey to contribute to important research on engineering workplace culture. Take part.
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This piece has been shared as part of a 12-month campaign exploring the 12 competencies of globally responsible engineering identified in our Competency Compass. Each month, you can expect thought leadership content, ranging from panel discussions to video interviews to articles, focussed on one of the 12 competencies – in October, we’re exploring ‘Diversity, equity and social justice’.
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