Survey explores mental health crisis in engineering

CABE is encouraging members to complete a survey which aims to explore the mental health crisis in engineering.

Suicide remains the leading cause of death for men under 50 in the UK, and male workers in construction and engineering are 3.7 times more likely to take their own lives than the national average. With 89% of the UK engineering workforce being male, mental health issues are prevalent – male engineers are 3.5 times more likely than women to report self-harming or contemplating suicide, according to a study commissioned by EqualEngineers.

The organisation, which works for diversity, inclusivity and equality in the fields of STEM, is seeking views to deepen its understanding of how engineering workplace cultures influence mental health and to identify actionable strategies to foster psychological safety and inclusivity.

Its previous survey conducted in 2022 revealed a troubling increase in respondents who had considered self-harm or suicide—rising from 1 in 5 to 1 in 4, while more than 70% claimed that men are expected to control their emotions by not showing weakness, fear or cry openly, and just half of engineers felt comfortable talking about stress with their employer.

"Men make up the demographic majority in engineering and can create the impression that they are shielded from marginalisation, but the reality is that societal pressures and workplace cultures can significantly impact men’s mental health," said EqualEngineers.

This year's research, supported by men's mental health charity Andy's Man Club, seeks to understand whether engineering workplace culture contributes to these alarming statistics, and explore whether issues such as stigma, ‘macho’ culture and behaviour, or the inability to express emotion or vulnerability, are barriers to creating more inclusive and supportive environments.

The organisation is calling on the engineering sector to help it understand if things have changed. If you comfortable doing so, please take the survey here.