As industries from engineering to construction continue to grapple with gender imbalance, IPS Managing Director Sascha Kurz says it’s time to move beyond awareness and start designing career pathways that work for women.
Creating meaningful change for women in STEM isn’t just about increasing participation – it’s about rethinking the structures that support long-term success.
According to IPS Managing Director Sascha Kurz, progress will accelerate when industries start planning for women’s entire career journeys rather than expecting them to adapt to systems not designed with them in mind.
“We need to design career plans that foresee life events like maternity leave, and make them part of the progression framework,” Sascha said.
“When parental leave is treated as a natural stage in a professional journey, not a setback, women stop feeling like they’re stepping off the career ladder.”
She believes the most effective way to remove barriers is to build flexibility and continuity into career design from the very start. Rather than seeing maternity leave as a pause, organisations should anticipate it, with structured return-to-work pathways, mentoring and opportunities that keep women connected during periods away from work.
“We also need to normalise paternal leave by matching it with maternal leave,” she said. “If more fathers are supported to take primary care roles, it changes workplace culture and allows women to return to work sooner. That’s what equality in action really looks like.”
As a former Queensland Professional Engineer of the Year, Sascha is also a strong advocate for mentorship as one of the most powerful tools for retention and growth.
“You can’t be what you can’t see. When women at all levels are visible – from apprentices to graduates, business leaders and boardrooms – it sends a clear signal about what’s possible,” she said.
“We need to plan for and introduce more internships, graduate programs and undergraduate opportunities that give young women real exposure to engineering and construction early on.
“It’s about planting the seed. When girls and young women can see the opportunities and experience them first-hand, they’re more likely to imagine themselves in those roles.”
For IPS, this focus on inclusion is central to our commitment to shaping a modern, equitable workforce.
“Equity in engineering and construction won’t happen by accident,” Sascha said. “It will happen when workplaces evolve with intention, inviting women in and ensuring they can build meaningful, sustainable and rewarding careers once they’re here.”
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