International Women in Engineering Day2026 · Date · History · Messages
Women’s Engineering Society (WES)
About International Women in Engineering Day
International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) is observed on 23 June each year. The Women’s Engineering Society (WES) says the campaign was founded in 2014 and has been international since 2017.
The day highlights women in engineering and encourages awareness of engineering careers and participation. It is an organizer-led professional campaign, not a universal statutory public holiday.
Why International Women in Engineering Day matters
INWED can be used to learn about engineering work, pathways into the profession and the experiences of women working across engineering disciplines.
Useful participation goes beyond slogans: use reliable career information, credit engineers for their work and avoid treating women in engineering as a single homogeneous group.
History of International Women in Engineering Day
WES says International Women in Engineering Day was founded in 2014, initially as a national campaign in the United Kingdom.
WES attributes the founding initiative to its then-president, Dawn Bonfield MBE.
The campaign became international in 2017 and continues to be observed on 23 June.
How the observance developed
This timeline uses documented milestones from reviewed sources. Missing stages are left out rather than guessed.
Dawn Bonfield MBE / Women’s Engineering Society (WES)
WES identifies its then-president Dawn Bonfield as the founder of the campaign in 2014.
Women’s Engineering Society (WES)
WES states that the campaign was founded by WES in 2014.
First documented observance
WES states that the campaign was founded in 2014. The reviewed current page does not separately establish the exact day of the first completed edition, so the value is limited to the year.
The campaign expanded from a UK national initiative to an international observance.
Women’s Engineering Society (WES) · International expansion of the campaign
Women’s Engineering Society (WES)
WES maintains and organizes the International Women in Engineering Day campaign.
What the evidence establishes
Confirmed institutional roles and milestones are shown first. Details that could not be established from the reviewed sources are listed separately below.
5 fields not established in reviewed sources
Later institutional actions
Later recognition, renaming, mergers or date changes are kept separate from original establishment.
How to Observe International Women in Engineering Day
Read profiles or talks by engineers working in different disciplines and career stages.
Invite an engineer to discuss what the work involves, including training routes and day-to-day responsibilities.
Review engineering education and apprenticeship options from accredited or official sources.
Recognize engineering contributions by naming the people and teams responsible for the work.
Support inclusive professional environments through evidence-based workplace or education practices.
International Women in Engineering Day Facts
International Women in Engineering Day is held on 23 June.
The Women’s Engineering Society says the campaign was founded in 2014.
WES attributes the founding initiative to its then-president Dawn Bonfield MBE.
The campaign began as a UK national initiative and became international in 2017.
WES remains the organizer behind INWED.
The reviewed sources do not establish INWED as a universal statutory public holiday.
International Women in Engineering Day Messages
International Women in Engineering Day is a chance to recognize engineering work and learn about the people behind it.
Celebrating 23 June by exploring engineering careers, disciplines and real-world contributions.
Topic and context
What this page does not assume
- Keep the source-defined country, community, organizer or institutional scope; do not silently broaden it.
- Do not treat the title alone as proof of government recognition or public-holiday status.
- Do not add a creator, founding story or origin claim unless the supporting evidence establishes it.
Evidence & sources
Sources used across the guide are gathered here. Labels show how each source supports the page, and contextual references are kept separate from primary evidence.
Women’s Engineering Society — INWED (opens in a new tab)
Organizer Dedicated Page
Understand it, compare it, then explore further
Start with the most common factual questions, then compare closely related observances and explore useful connections.
Frequently asked questions
When is International Women in Engineering Day?
23 June The documented recurrence rule is: 23 June.
Does International Women in Engineering Day fall on the same date every year?
Yes. It uses a fixed annual date unless stronger evidence changes the pattern.
Is International Women in Engineering Day an official public holiday?
The reviewed sources verify it within this scope: Organizer-backed global engineering campaign. That recognition does not by itself make it a statutory public holiday; the site only makes public-holiday claims when reliable evidence explicitly does so.
Who established or recognizes International Women in Engineering Day?
The reviewed sources identify Women’s Engineering Society (WES) as the proclaiming or establishing body. The proposer or originator is recorded separately as Dawn Bonfield MBE / Women’s Engineering Society (WES). Current facilitation or coordination is recorded as Women’s Engineering Society (WES).
Is International Women in Engineering Day international or country-specific?
The documented scope is international or global: Organizer-backed global engineering campaign. That does not mean every country treats the date as a public holiday or observes it in the same way.
How is this page verified?
The factual information is checked against reviewed sources, including the date pattern, scope and institutional history. This page was checked on 2026-10-02.
When is International Women in Engineering Day?
It is observed on 23 June every year.
Who founded INWED?
The Women’s Engineering Society says the campaign was founded in 2014 and attributes the initiative to its then-president Dawn Bonfield MBE.
When did the campaign become international?
WES says it became an international campaign in 2017.
What is a useful way to participate?
Learn from engineers’ work, explore credible education and career pathways, and recognize engineering contributions with accurate attribution.
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