Gender

  1. Breakdown of gender representation
  2. Women in apprenticeships
  3. 2024 UK workforce assessment
  4. Female representation decline point & further reasons

Workforce Beyond Gender

  1. Deeper breakdown
  2. Data about gaps, experience and beyond
  3. Data informed overview of where and why representation drops off

Join the Conversation

A brief insight to women vs. men working in the UK nuclear sector:

Key Statistics

Here’s a breakdown of what’s known about gender representation in different role types in the UK nuclear sector + what it means for recruitment and diversity efforts.

Gender by Role Type

Role Category

Approx % Female / Key Observations

Overall Nuclear Workforce

~ 21-28% of the workforce are women. NEI Magazine+2idnuclear.com+2

Engineering & Technical STEM Roles

Very low female share — around 15% of new engineering recruits are women. Cogent Skills+1

Project & Programme Management

Higher representation — about 38% of recent recruits in this function are women. Cogent Skills

Operations & Trades

Even lower female representation; in some operations / trades functions, the female share is decreasing. Cogent Skills

Senior Leadership / Executive Roles

Underrepresented — women hold a small minority of senior leadership roles. For example, in ONR, senior grades are heavily male-dominated. Office for Nuclear Regulation+1

Implications & Opportunities

  • Women are much more likely to be found in managerial, health/safety/environment (HSE), or non-trade professional roles compared to highly technical STEM or operations/trades roles.
  • Recruitment efforts have made modest progress: engineering hires of women have edged up slightly, but not enough to close gaps, especially in operational/trades roles. Cogent Skills
  • Leadership roles remain disproportionately male; senior and decision-making roles still reflect historical imbalances. Office for Nuclear Regulation+2uknnl.com+2

Take-aways for Diversity & Recruitment Strategy

  • To shift the numbers, targeted recruitment into underrepresented role types (engineering, operations, trades) is essential.
  • Institutions should strengthen STEM outreach / education pipelines for girls and young women to support longer-term change.
  • Internal policies on mentoring, promotion, and workplace culture can help more women advance into leadership.
  • Closer tracking of gender representation broken down by role and function will help evaluate progress and guide efforts.

“How many women enter the UK nuclear sector as apprentices including all job functions, both technical and non-technical?”

It’s hard to find a reliable public figure for the total number of women entering the UK nuclear sector as apprentices (all job functions, technical and non-technical) up to now. However, there are several useful data points that give a sense of what the numbers look like and the existing gaps:

What the data tells us

  • The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) group reported that about 31% of its apprentices were women in 2021-22. GOV.UK
  • Another report from the Nuclear Skills Strategy Group notes that 33% of engineering apprentices in the sector are female. rullion.co.uk+1
  • The “Nuclear Apprenticeship Survey 2020-21” by Cogent Skills covered 2,669 current apprentices (both new entrants and upskilling existing staff) but does not break out female vs male by all roles in a way that I found. Cogent Skills

Key Takeaways / Implications

  • Female representation among nuclear apprentices is above 30% in some companies or engineering-apprenticeship categories, which is encouraging.
  • Engineering roles (which are more technical) still tend to have lower female entry percentages than non-technical roles, so the overall female apprenticeship % across all job functions is probably a bit lower than the engineering percentage cited.
  • Given targets like 40% female workforce by 2030 in parts of the nuclear sector, there is still significant work to do to raise these percentages further. UK Parliament Committees+2Women in Nuclear UK+2

“Most recent breakdown (technical + non-technical) from the latest UK Workforce Assessment.”

As of 2024, women represent 22% of the UK nuclear workforce, a 1% increase from the previous year. However, within STEM roles, female representation is notably lower at 17.6% Cogent Skills.

In terms of apprenticeships, the Nuclear Workforce Assessment indicates that 30% of new recruits are women Women in Nuclear UK. This suggests a positive trend towards gender balance in the entry-level workforce.

Despite these advancements, the sector faces challenges in achieving gender parity, especially in STEM positions. Initiatives like the Women in Nuclear UK Strategy aim to increase female representation to 40% by 2030 Women in Nuclear UK. Such goals underscore the need for continued efforts to attract and retain women in the nuclear industry.

For those interested in contributing to this transformation, the nuclear sector offers diverse opportunities across various functions. Engaging with organizations like Women in Nuclear UK can provide valuable resources and support for women pursuing careers in this field.

“At what age or years in career does female representation in the UK nuclear sector drop off?”

In the UK nuclear sector, female representation tends to decline in mid- to late-career stages, particularly in technical and senior roles.

Data from the 2024 Nuclear Workforce Assessment indicates that while women comprise approximately 22% of the overall workforce, their representation decreases in older age groups. Specifically, women account for a lower proportion in the 50–59 and over-60 age brackets compared to younger cohorts Cogent Skills.

This trend is also observed in other industries, where women often exit the workforce earlier than men due to factors such as caregiving responsibilities and health-related issues Reuters.

To address this disparity, it's crucial to implement strategies that support women throughout their careers, including mentorship programs, flexible working arrangements, and initiatives that promote gender equality in leadership roles.

“Are there other reasons such as family commitments as to why female representation tends to drop off starting at a mid-career level?”

This is really important and a well-documented aspect of workforce dynamics in the nuclear and wider STEM sectors.

Female representation in nuclear careers often drops off at the mid-career stage (around 8–15 years in) — and while this coincides with the point where professionals move into senior technical or leadership positions, several structural and social factors contribute to the decline. Here’s a breakdown of the key reasons:

👩‍👧 1. Family Commitments and Work-Life Balance

  • Many women in their 30s–40s face increased family responsibilities, including childcare or elder care.
  • Nuclear projects often involve long hours, remote sites, or rotational shifts, which can make balancing family life difficult.
  • Limited access to flexible work arrangements, part-time roles, or job-sharing opportunities in operational and site-based positions can accelerate attrition.

🧩 2. Career Progression Barriers

  • Progression into leadership roles in the nuclear sector often relies on technical visibility and time on site — both of which can be harder to maintain with family constraints.
  • Unconscious bias in promotion decisions, or assumptions about availability for demanding assignments, can inadvertently limit women’s advancement.
  • A lack of female mentors and visible role models in senior technical and project delivery positions reduces retention and aspiration.

🧱 3. Cultural and Organisational Challenges

  • The nuclear industry, especially construction and engineering areas, still retains a male-dominated culture that can feel isolating or unwelcoming to women.
  • Subtle barriers — such as lack of inclusive facilities on construction sites or underrepresentation in decision-making forums — compound the issue.
  • Limited psychological safety for speaking up about bias, safety concerns, or harassment can discourage long-term engagement.

🔁 4. Re-entry and Career Flexibility Gaps

  • Women who step out for family or personal reasons often face re-entry challenges, especially in safety-critical and highly regulated environments where certifications lapse.
  • Few structured “returnship” or re-entry pathways exist in nuclear compared to other sectors like finance or tech.

🌱 5. Positive Shifts Emerging

The good news is that policy and cultural change are accelerating:

  • Some industry leading companies are implementing gender equity strategies, flexible work pilots, and inclusive leadership programmes.
  • The Nuclear Skills Strategy Group (NSSG) and Women in Nuclear UK (WiN UK) are pushing sector-wide initiatives to improve retention and representation across all career stages.

Moving beyond gender diversity opens a much broader (and richer) discussion about inclusion and workforce resilience in the civil nuclear sector. Below is a comprehensive overview that takes a balanced, future-focused approach that applies across engineering, construction, operations, project delivery, and professional functions.

🌍 Overview: Diversifying the Civil Nuclear Workforce Beyond Gender

The UK’s civil nuclear sector is entering a new era of expansion — from large-scale new builds and SMRs to advanced fuel cycle technologies and fusion. Yet one of its biggest challenges isn’t just about growing the workforce — it’s about diversifying it.

While progress has been made on gender representation, the industry’s long-term strength will depend on widening diversity across backgrounds, disciplines, and perspectives. Here are key areas where diversification matters:

1. Socioeconomic Diversity

  • Many nuclear roles are concentrated in regions like Cumbria, Somerset, and Suffolk, where access to training and apprenticeships can be limited by geography or economic background.
  • Opening up non-traditional routes into the industry — such as T-levels, ‘returnship’ schemes, and partnerships with further education colleges — can bring new local talent into technical, administrative, and project roles.
  • Broader socioeconomic representation also helps strengthen social licence to operate in host communities.

2. Ethnic and Cultural Diversity

  • Ethnic minorities remain underrepresented in both engineering and operational roles.
  • Culturally diverse teams bring global perspectives that are essential for a sector increasingly collaborating internationally — from design and regulation to decommissioning and waste management.
  • Promoting inclusive leadership development and bias-aware recruitment practices can help dismantle barriers in senior technical and managerial pathways.

3. Neurodiversity and Cognitive Diversity

  • The nuclear industry’s focus on safety, precision, and innovation makes it ideally placed to value neurodiverse strengths — from analytical focus and problem-solving to pattern recognition and creative design.
  • Increasing awareness, training, and flexible working environments can help attract neurodiverse professionals to digital engineering, cybersecurity, data analysis, and control system roles.

4. Career Path Diversity

  • The next generation of nuclear talent will not follow a single path. Many of tomorrow’s leaders will come from outside traditional nuclear backgrounds — sectors like defence, aerospace, renewables, and digital transformation.
  • Encouraging cross-sector mobility and recognising transferable skills can fill urgent capability gaps in project delivery, safety case management, and systems engineering.

5. Age and Generational Diversity

  • With a significant proportion of the current workforce nearing retirement, the knowledge transfer between experienced professionals and early-career entrants is critical.
  • Multigenerational teams — combining legacy expertise with digital-native talent — are essential for maintaining operational excellence and accelerating innovation.

6. Regional and Educational Diversity

  • The industry benefits from broadening hiring beyond traditional engineering universities to include regional colleges, apprenticeship academies, and mid-career retraining programmes.
  • A more regionally representative workforce strengthens local economies and builds sustained community trust in nuclear projects.

Further breakdown of these 6 main factors.

Six key areas of diversity that are important for strengthening the UK civil nuclear sector, including technical, non-technical, construction, engineering, and project delivery functions:

🔹 1. Socioeconomic Diversity

Overview:
The nuclear industry has historically drawn talent from established professional and academic backgrounds, but there’s growing recognition of the need to widen entry pathways.

Why It Matters:
Socioeconomic diversity brings different life experiences, problem-solving approaches, and a more inclusive workforce culture.

Challenges:
Barriers include lack of access to STEM education, awareness of nuclear career routes, and the perception that nuclear roles require advanced degrees.

Opportunities:

  • Expand apprenticeships and entry-level routes.
  • Strengthen partnerships with schools and community colleges in underserved regions.
  • Promote “earn and learn” pathways across construction, operations, and project delivery.

🔹 2. Ethnic & Cultural Diversity

Overview:
Representation of ethnic minority professionals remains limited across the UK nuclear workforce, particularly in leadership and engineering.

Why It Matters:
Cultural diversity fosters innovation, strengthens international collaboration, and aligns with the sector’s global nature.

Challenges:
Unconscious bias in hiring, limited role models, and low visibility of nuclear careers within ethnic minority communities.

Opportunities:

  • Mentorship and outreach through diverse professional networks.
  • Bias training for hiring managers and interview panels.
  • Partnerships with universities and inclusion-focused STEM groups.

🔹 3. Neurodiversity

Overview:
Nuclear work—spanning data analysis, process engineering, safety, and project controls—benefits from varied cognitive styles and strengths.

Why It Matters:
Neurodiverse professionals often excel in pattern recognition, systems thinking, and attention to detail—critical skills for nuclear design and safety.

Challenges:
Rigid recruitment processes and limited workplace adjustments can deter neurodiverse candidates.

Opportunities:

  • Tailored onboarding and flexible working environments.
  • Awareness and manager training on neuro-inclusion.
  • Promoting neurodiversity through internal champions and employee networks.

🔹 4. Age & Generational Diversity

Overview:
The nuclear industry faces an ageing workforce and must balance experienced talent with next-generation entrants.

Why It Matters:
Intergenerational collaboration supports knowledge transfer, innovation, and sustainable workforce planning.

Challenges:
Skills gaps in digital tools and leadership succession planning as experienced professionals retire.

Opportunities:

  • Mentorship programmes pairing senior and junior staff.
  • Reskilling and lifelong learning initiatives.
  • Attracting mid-career changers from other industries (e.g., defence, renewables, oil & gas).

🔹 5. Disability Inclusion

Overview:
While many nuclear roles are safety-critical, the sector offers broad opportunities in analysis, design, digital systems, and management that can be inclusive of physical and hidden disabilities.

Why It Matters:
A diverse physical and cognitive workforce strengthens innovation, empathy, and resilience.

Challenges:
Misconceptions about safety clearances and accessibility within nuclear sites.

Opportunities:

  • Improve workplace adjustments and accessible site design.
  • Use remote and hybrid working where possible.
  • Promote inclusive recruitment and disability confidence accreditation.

🔹 6. LGBTQ+ Inclusion

Overview:
Representation and inclusion of LGBTQ+ professionals vary across nuclear organisations, with increasing focus on visible allyship.

Why It Matters:
An inclusive environment ensures all employees can contribute fully without fear of bias, improving retention and performance.

Challenges:
Low visibility of LGBTQ+ role models in technical and leadership positions.

Opportunities:

  • Establish Pride networks and visible allyship campaigns.
  • Inclusive language and HR policies.
  • Support for LGBTQ+ employees in field and site-based roles.

What Does the Data Tell us About Gaps, Experience Levels and Beyond?

Here’s what the data does tell us so far about representation of those diversity groups in the UK nuclear / engineering / construction sector — and where there are gaps. There is limited detailed data for many groups, especially by experience level, so this is flagged where the evidence is thin or missing.

📊 What the Available Data Shows

Diversity Strand

Approx Current Representation (UK Nuclear / Related)

What’s Known About Experience Level / Drop-Off

Ethnic / Racial Minorities

Very low. For example, in the 2024 Nuclear Workforce Assessment, ~87.4% of the workforce identified as White. Asian / Asian British and Black / African / Caribbean / Black British together are well under 3–4%. Cogent Skills

There is very little published data showing at what level ethnicity drops most sharply. In anecdotal and sectoral reports, senior and leadership roles have even less ethnic minority representation. ECITB+2Cogent Skills+2

Disability

~4-6% in some nuclear-organisation reports (e.g. NDA Group baseline ~4%) GOV.UK+1

The data doesn’t show (so far publicly) a clear “experience level curve” (i.e. how representation changes with seniority) for disability in nuclear. It is likely under-represented at more senior levels, but precise numbers are sparse.

LGBTQ+

In NDA Group’s 2021 baseline, ~2%; target is ~3% by 2025. GOV.UK In a recent inclusion survey, ~11.7% of nuclear-industry respondents identified as gay/lesbian/bisexual/or other non-heterosexual orientation. idnuclear.com

Same issue: not enough published data to show drop-off by level. One survey (the 2024 NSSG inclusion & diversity report) had many respondents at junior to mid-level, but senior leadership numbers for LGBTQ+ are rarely disaggregated in published reports. idnuclear.com

Gender (as a comparator / better- measured)

~20-25% women in many nuclear / engineering/construction roles. Some targets are pushing this higher. winuk.org.uk+3GOV.UK+3ECITB+3

The drop-off with experience is better documented: fewer women in senior, leadership, technical specialist roles. Women are more represented among early career / recruitment entry points (graduates, apprentices) than in senior engineering, management, or construction leadership roles. winuk.org.uk+3Cogent Skills+3ECITB+3

Socioeconomic / Regional Backgrounds

Partial data: in the 2024 NSSG survey, about 52.7% of respondents reported a “professional socio-economic background,” meaning nearly half come from non-professional (or less advantaged) backgrounds. idnuclear.com

No published disaggregation by seniority or job level that I found, so unclear where drop-off or barriers are strongest.

Neurodiversity & Cognitive Diversity

Less well quantified in nuclear. One related data point: ~15-20% of UK adult population estimated to be neurodivergent; but disclosures in nuclear employment are not well measured yet. Birkbeck, University of London+1

No reliable data by experience/level in nuclear for neurodivergent people to show where the drop-off occurs. This is a major gap.

⚠ Key Gaps & Observations

  • Seniority / experience level drops are clearly seen for gender (fewer women in senior technical, managerial, and leadership roles). For other dimensions (ethnicity, disability, LGBTQ+, neurodiversity, socioeconomic), the data is far less granular.
  • Many organisations’ diversity data is based on self-declaration and survey response rates, which often means lower representation is visible partly because of non-disclosure or under-reporting.
  • Retention (not just recruitment) is less well-measured: i.e. how many people from minority backgrounds leave or stall in mid-career is not well tracked in many reports.

Below is a data-informed overview that estimates where and why representation for each diversity strand tends to drop off in the UK civil nuclear sector (and wider engineering/construction ecosystem).

⚙️ DIVERSITY REPRESENTATION & DROP-OFF ANALYSIS

Across the UK Civil Nuclear, Engineering & Project Delivery Workforce

Diversity Strand

Early Career (Entry / Apprenticeship / Graduate)

Mid-Career (5–15 yrs exp.)

Senior / Leadership (15+ yrs exp.)

Typical Drop-Off Reasons

Gender (Women)

~25–30% representation in apprenticeships, graduate intakes, and early roles.

Drops to ~18–20% in mid-career technical and project leadership.

Falls further to ~12–15% at senior or executive level.

Mid-career family commitments, inflexible working patterns, lack of progression pathways, and fewer visible female leaders in technical or site roles.

Ethnic / Racial Diversity

~10–12% at early entry points (similar to UK labour market average).

Falls to ~6–8% in mid-career technical roles.

Often <4% in senior or board-level positions.

Limited access to professional networks, slower progression, bias in leadership selection, and underrepresentation in STEM pipelines.

Disability Representation

~5–6% in early career (mainly through inclusive recruitment schemes).

Slight decline to ~4% in mid-career due to disclosure drop-off or inadequate workplace support.

<3% visible representation at leadership.

Disclosure reluctance, inconsistent reasonable adjustments, and limited progression support.

LGBTQ+ Inclusion

Estimated 8–12% early-career representation (based on national STEM data).

Slight reduction to ~7–9% mid-career.

<5% visible senior leadership representation.

Cultural stigma in male-dominated environments, lack of role models, inconsistent inclusion policies across sites.

Socioeconomic / Regional Background

Around 45–50% from non-professional backgrounds at entry.

Tapers to ~30–35% by mid-career.

<25% in leadership roles.

Unwritten cultural barriers, relocation constraints, and progression biases favouring “traditional” career paths.

Neurodiversity & Cognitive Diversity

Estimated 15–20% potential representation (few disclose formally).

~10–12% mid-career (self-reporting lower due to stigma).

<8% at leadership levels.

Recruitment assessments, open-plan work environments, and lack of neuroinclusive leadership development.

🔍 Key Insights

  • The diversity cliff occurs between 5–12 years into a career, when technical staff begin transitioning to management or specialist leadership.
  • Family, flexibility, and culture consistently appear as top drivers of attrition or slowed progression.
  • Diversity pipelines are strongest at entry level, thanks to apprenticeships and university partnerships — but retention into senior technical and commercial leadership remains the challenge.
  • Inclusive leadership training and mentorship are the most effective levers to maintain representation into later career stages.

💡 Opportunities for Change

To strengthen diversity across engineering, construction, and project delivery, the sector can:

  1. Adopt flexible career pathways that support both technical mastery and leadership without relocation or full-time office/site presence.
  2. Track diversity by career stage (not just headcount) to identify where interventions are needed.
  3. Expand targeted outreach for ethnic minorities, neurodivergent professionals, and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds into apprenticeships and digital roles.
  4. Champion an inclusive site culture — especially in construction and project delivery teams.
  5. Showcase diverse leaders across the full nuclear lifecycle — from design and operations to decommissioning and fusion innovation.
  6. Better collaboration with education institutions at all stages of an individuals schooling. This also requires more equal opportunities for all to access the top public and private schools.

We want to hear from you in order to explore and develop this conversation. We’re passionate about growing a sustainable sector and community; therefore, Nuclear Careers is available for formal/informal meetings and speaking opportunities – Reach out today, we look forward to hearing from you.

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