June 23, 2025
Seaspan is proud to celebrate June 23 as International Women in Engineering Day; a chance to recognize and uplift the women leading our industry by example here at Seaspan.
While International Women in Engineering Day wasn’t first celebrated until 2014, the recognized movement to support women in engineering dates all the way back to the UK in the early 20th century. In the midst of the First World War, many crucial engineering roles had been vacated, with the men who had previously held these positions having gone off to war.
Despite their training and expertise gained, when the men returned from overseas, the women were pushed to give up their duties in deference to the men—something many of them rightly thought unfair.
While many gave up their positions and left the engineering field, some stayed, having grown not just an affinity, but hard-earned skill and experience, and decided in 1919 to start a group to protect their interest in engineering: the Women’s Engineering Society. The society, now in its 106th year, went on to establish International Women in Engineering Day, nearly a century after the group was founded.
Here at Seaspan, women in engineering play a valuable role in delivering the ships we build for our customers, applying their skills, insight and leadership throughout the process.
One of these engineers is Anu Babu, a Platform Integration Manager at Vancouver Shipyards, who has been able to find joy in the intricate challenges inherent in shipbuilding. 
“Being part of the design and construction of large, complex ships has been the most fulfilling aspect of my work at Seaspan. I’ve had the opportunity to work across the entire project lifecycle, from Concept to Functional Design on the Multi-Purpose Icebreakers (MPIs) and from Functional Design to Build on the Joint Support Ship (JSS).
“Holding roles such as Mission Equipment Engineer, Mission Integration Lead, and now Platform Integration Manager, I’ve been consistently challenged and inspired by the scope and complexity of the work.”
Contributing to solving the large-scale engineering puzzles that shipbuilding presents is also something that Priya Patel, an Electrical Engineer, also at Vancouver Shipyards, takes pride in.
“When I moved to Canada three years ago, working at Seaspan was one of my biggest dreams. Being here now feels incredibly meaningful because I know the work I do contributes to something much larger than myself, something that supports our prestigious national defense.”
“There’s a unique kind of satisfaction that comes from seeing it all come to life… when the lights glow, the pumps run, and the switchboards power up. In those moments, I feel proud knowing that all of our small efforts have come together to bring this massive, complex ship to life. It really is a kind of magic.”
Opportunities for women in our industry haven’t always been available. Historically, as well as in the present day, discriminatory attitudes and implicit biases have often restricted the prevalence of women in engineering.
When the Women’s Engineering Society was first pushing for equality within the field, they were met with a barrage of resistance. At the time, engineering was not seen as a field that women could or should go into, limiting how and where they could work.
Many of the group’s members were not taken seriously because of their gender, being passed over for work— while other groups, such as the Royal Society, and most universities and apprenticeships, refused to accept women entirely.
While these attitudes have eased, the demographics of the current industry still reflect a field comprised mostly of men, with only 15.4% of the total engineering workforce in Canada being women.
According to the Engendering Success in STEM research partnership — a group of STEM-focused academics from Vancouver’s University of British Columbia, all the way to Amsterdam — this disparity has been upheld by various cultural biases that often take root at an early age.
Whether it be through an implicit association of more data / number-driven subjects like math or science with boys, or a lack of acknowledgement or recognition for skills, girls and young women are often driven away from the world of engineering before they exit grade school.
It’s why a core goal of Women in Engineering Day is to break through these social stigmas. By celebrating the numerous successful women who have entered and thrived in our field, it can demonstrate to others, who may not otherwise have a role model in the field to follow after, that they can succeed in engineering. As Priya learned when she was younger, having role models to learn from was of incredible importance.
“What first got me interested in engineering was my dad,” she said. “He worked for the state electricity board his whole career, and growing up, I used to go with him to different sites pretty often. At the time, I didn’t really realize how much those visits were shaping me, but all the electrical equipment and technical terms fascinated me as a kid. Watching my dad work so hard made me want to follow in his footsteps and build my own path in engineering.”
“Even now, going to any electrical facility still gives me that same excitement I felt when I was just four years old.”
The excitement Priya describes is essential. Women going into engineering don’t just break into the field on a whim — it’s because they have a genuine passion and love for what they do.
“From a young age, I was captivated by large structures and buildings, always in awe of the human ingenuity behind such incredible creations. Anything tall and massive sparked a deep curiosity in me, eventually drawing me toward the field of engineering,” said Anu.
“I transitioned into oil and gas construction—an industry where I could witness grand structures taking shape before my eyes. As a project engineer, I developed a deep connection with the rigs I helped build, understanding every beam and system intimately. It wasn’t unusual for my colleagues to find me emotional when we sent those rigs off for installation in the North China Sea—it was like watching a part of me sail away.”
While the demographic gap between male and female engineers is still quite large, fortunately, it is beginning to shift. This is particularly true in BC, where the share of women in engineering grew more than any other province between 2022 and 2023, rising from 14.8% to 15.8%.
A shift like that doesn’t happen out of nowhere. Thanks to events like this, the work of those that have come before, and the support of allies in our field, young women can enter engineering knowing that a bright and supportive future awaits them.
“Embrace opportunities across different engineering disciplines—every experience adds value, and no knowledge is ever wasted.” said Anu. “Seek the field of engineering that connects you to your dreams and that fills you with a sense of awe. When you have found that connection, nothing can stop you.”
Breaking into a male-dominated field like engineering as a woman comes with a unique set of challenges that others often can’t see. Yet, as Priya notes, despite these challenges, plenty of women have been able to thrive as engineers, because the truth is — they belong there.
“The advice I’d give to any young woman entering engineering is this: own your journey, even when it feels uncomfortable. There will be moments especially in the field where you might feel out of place. You might find yourself surrounded by hundreds of male colleagues, feeling self-conscious, nervous about making mistakes, or embarrassed for not knowing something that seems basic. And that’s okay. The truth is, many of us were never taught those things, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn,” said Priya.
“Stand tall, ask questions, and never let fear of judgment stop you. Every engineer, no matter their gender, learns by doing and by asking. Keep your head high and focus on growing a little every day. Even during your toughest times, try to help those around you; it will remind you of your strength and keep you grounded.”