International Women’s Day 2025
This year’s theme for International Women’s Day (IWD) is Accelerate Action, supporting gender equality and creating industries where difference is valued and celebrated. We spoke to Network Rail Consulting’s (NRC’s) Graduates to discuss their experience as a female entering the rail industry.
Caitlin Day, Australia Graduate Engineer
It is reported that it will take until 2158 to reach gender parity. As a new entrant to a male-dominated industry like rail, how does it make you feel to hear this statistic?
I think it's always been a hope and goal of mine, and of a lot of women, to see gender parity achieved in their lifetime. To hear such a concrete figure, based on our current progress, saddens me. However, in my short time at NRC, it has been invigorating to see the stress placed on increasing diversity and improving equality in our workplace. I have hope that we can change this figure, through continuous efforts to encourage women to enter rail. It also motivates me to continue with my efforts of encouraging girls and women to strive for better.
Why did you choose to start a career in the rail industry? Were you aware of the gender disparity within the rail industry and how did this effect you?
I chose rail due to its continuous development and expansion. I want to be a part of an industry that is evolving with the world and has intentions to stay. I am keen to be a part of this journey and learn as the industry learns. I never put much thought into the gender disparity in rail, as unfortunately, I have become accustomed to being one of only a handful of women in a room since my first engineering lecture in 2019. From here, to being one of only three women electronic engineers in my cohort, to choosing to start my engineer career in FIFO in the oil & gas industry.
Due to my experience, the nerves have dissipated, and I wasn't afraid to embark on this new journey. But starting university, starting FIFO, it was hard, and it was scary. I encourage any girls or women starting their education/career or joining a new industry to find their system, make connections, share the load. We're all doing this at the same time, why not do it together.
What motivates you to make change?
My biggest motivators are the women I see in my everyday life. From the friends I've grown up with, to my colleagues, to the women I see on the train of a morning. I strive to make change for them and for me, because we are all deserving of an environment where we feel respected and valued.
Madeline Mack, US Graduate Engineer
It is reported that it will take until 2158 to reach gender parity. As a new entrant to a male-dominated industry like rail, how does it make you feel to hear this statistic?
I choose not to see it as a discouraging statistic, but rather to see it as something that can evoke change in the railway industry by illuminating the absence of women, their unique viewpoints, and their extraordinary talents and capabilities. I see immense untapped potential for women in this space- potential that I hope to see realized as I grow in my career. I was once told that diversity could be seen as being given a seat at the table, but inclusion is being made a participant in the conversation. As a female engineer, simply being a part of these spaces is not enough. Throughout my career, I truly aim to continue paving the way for women in this field in the same way the women I aspire to be paved the way for me – so that hopefully 2158 comes much sooner than we think.
Why did you choose to start a career in the rail industry? Were you aware of the gender disparity within the rail industry and how did this effect you?
I chose to start a career in the rail industry because honestly, I find it exciting. At the heart of the railway industry is one fundamental purpose: to serve people – to transport them (both physically and metaphorically) from stagnant yesterdays to brighter tomorrows. I’ve met a multitude of people who have never travelled outside of the cities they are from – and in 2025, I think the world should be more accessible. The rail industry allows me to be an active participant in initiating that- in making our world today easier to navigate and more obtainable to see. Although I knew there was a gender disparity upon my entrance into the railway industry, I decided to let this fact excite and motivate me rather than discourage me. I ardently believe that railways are by the people, for the people- and that inspires me and motivates me in my career and beyond.
What motivates you to make change?
What motivates me to make change is the simple, yet radical belief that we are always one idea away from a better future – not only for ourselves, but for all. It inspires me that I get to see my ideas, as well as the ideas of fellow women in the railway industry, directly and positively impact the quality, efficiency, and possibility of the lives around me. I find it enthralling to be a participant in enacting the change I desire to see – the change that makes seeing the world and experiencing the world something that is not just attainable for a select few, but also possible for every woman and every man. I am empowered to have a voice in conversations that women wouldn’t have been included in when the railways first began, and I am motivated to empower other women to have the same. Ultimately, I consider myself lucky to be a beneficiary of the positive changes women before me worked to make, and that motivates me to continue their work, making changes that will benefit those who come after me.
At NRC we are looking for diverse talent, if you are a graduate looking to start your career in the rail industry, click the link below to find out more about our current opportunities.
https://isw.changeworknow.co.uk/network_rail_consulting/vms/i/careers/home