Civil Engineering September 2021 | Vol 29 No 8

2 September 2021 Civil Engineering Another critical aspect that we tend to encounter is that of cognitive dis- sonance, which occurs when individuals choose to promote specific behaviours that they themselves do not practice. What is needed are leaders who truly believe in the cause of addressing inclu- sivity and diversity, and by doing so can transform their companies and inspire followers to believe in these initiatives. There must be a top-down approach as well as a company-wide buy-in, so that it becomes entrenched in the company’s culture and DNA. It is a fact that gender disparity plays a major role in South Africa’s scarcity of competent engineers and is perhaps also restricting infrastructure development in the process. The other important issue is the retention of women engineers in our profession. At times not enough is being done to motivate those women who feel isolated or under-valued, and therefore feel that their only option is to leave the profession altogether, which creates a major problem within our industry. MAKING A DIFFERENCE There is a saying that goes, “You can’t be what you can’t see.” We need more female engineers to act as role models for young women who are in the profession or want to join the profession. As members of organisations and companies we must do more to promote the benefits that can be achieved by ensuring that there is an equal representation of women in civil engineering. We must acknowledge that women are assets to our industry and undoubtedly make a difference. As President of SAICE I am confident that the Institution will continue to advocate the need for gender inclusivity in our profession, to ensure that more women are attracted to the civil engineering industry, and that all our women engineering professionals are recognised for the contribution that they make on a daily basis to uplift the lives of millions of people in our cities, provinces and the country as a whole. At SAICE we must also ensure that the women in our work environment are treated with the respect and dignity that they deserve and that their path to success and leadership is fully supported. Gender inclusivity and equality is not about accepting women into the profes- sion or our work environments; it is about showing these women the respect that they deserve as they have fully earned their place at the table. Vishal Krishandutt SAICE President 2021 president@saice.org.za Gender inclusivity and equality is not about accepting women into the profession or our work environments; it is about showing these women the respect that they deserve as they have fully earned their place at the table Thermal IntegrityProfiler (TIP) • Evaluates concrete quality inside and outside the reinforcing cage • Accelerates construction with tests conducted during concrete curing • Reveals necking or inclusions, bulges, variations in concrete cover, shape of shaft and cage alignment To learn more about TIP, visit www.pile.com.