Research on retaining women engineers: privacy notice

This privacy notice sets out the legal basis for processing data in relation to this research project and explains how your personal data will be collected, used, and protected as part of this research project. This research aims to understand why women leave engineering at a higher rate than men and what could be done to improve retention.

The research is being completed by the Institute for Employment Studies (IES) on behalf of the Royal Academy of Engineering. The Royal Academy of Engineering’s approach to privacy and safeguarding of personal information can be found here: General Privacy Policy.

About IES

IES is an independent centre for research and evidence-based consultancy. We provide insights on employment, education and human resource management topics to help improve policy and practice.

The legal basis for processing your personal data

The Royal Academy of Engineering is the data controller for this project, and IES is the data processor. The legal basis for processing your personal data is “Legitimate Interest”, Article 6(1)(f) of the UK GDPR.

As part of this research, participants may share information relating to gender identity, ethnicity, religion or belief, health or disability, sexual orientation, and potentially trade union membership (if mentioned or discussed). These are considered special category data under data protection law. The lawful basis for processing such information is your explicit consent under Article 9(2)(a) of the UK GDPR

Your data is being processed so that the Royal Academy of Engineering can have a better understanding of why women leave engineering at a higher rate than men and what can be done to improve retention. This study will support the Academy and the profession to better understand the issues affecting women’s retention in engineering and how they could address these.

What does the research involve?

The study will involve in-depth interviews with a number of participants who identify as a woman, non-binary, or other identity that is not a man. The interview will cover:

■   Your work and life history

■   How you made choices around your work as an engineer

■   What was influential in making choices or changes

■   What support you accessed when making decisions

■   What motivated you to work in engineering for the time you have

■   What motivated you to leave engineering (if you have left)

Interviews will be completed remotely, using MS Teams, although other options can be offered if preferred.

To arrange these interviews, your name, contact details and other personal data have been securely shared by Roots with the IES research team. This personal information will only be processed for the purposes of completing this research.

Who will have access to my personal data?

Your personal data has been securely shared with IES by our recruitment partner, Roots Research. These data will be stored on IES’ encrypted server, with access restricted solely to members of the research team. You may decline the invitation to take part in an interview, or withdraw from the research at any time, without having to give a reason. If you later decide not to take part in an interview, your contact details will remain stored by IES unless you ask us to delete them.

If you agree to take part in a research interview, we will ask for your agreement to make a recording of the discussion. This recording will be stored on MS Teams and on IES encrypted servers, separately from any identifying information (i.e. your name and contact details), and will only be accessible by the research team.

Your personal data will be held securely and in line with UK GDPR at all times.

How will my data be treated?

Taking part in the research is entirely voluntary and any answers are given with your consent. If you choose to take part in an interview, the information you give will only be used for purposes of this study.

IES will produce a report summarising the main findings from all interviews. This will be shared with the Royal Academy of Engineering, published and made publicly available. Individuals will not be named in the reports, nor will any information be included that could reveal their identity.

Data protection law requires that personal data are kept for no longer than is necessary. The personal data we used to contact you and the details you provided, as well as data collected during interviews, will be securely deleted from the IES systems six months after the project is complete (currently anticipated as July 2026).

What are my rights?

You have rights under data protection law to make the following requests about the personal data that is held about you, which is being processed for this research, including:

■   to ask us to delete your name and contact details from the IES system. This can be done at any time by emailing Clare Huxley (see email address below)

■   to ask us to delete your data provided during your interview. This can be done up to two weeks after the interview date by emailing Astrid Allen (see email address below)

■   to request access to this data

■   to amend any incorrect or inaccurate information

■   to restrict or object to your data being processed

If you would like to exercise any of your Data Subject Rights please contact Clare Huxley (see email address below)

Who can I contact with a query about how my data will be used?

If you have any questions about how your data will be used, please contact Clare Huxley, Project Manager for the research at IES: clare.huxley@employment-studies.co.uk or Astrid Allen, Qualitative research lead: astrid.allen@employment-studies.co.uk

You can also contact: Head of Governance, Risk & Compliance, Royal Academy of Engineering at cm@raeng.org.uk or via post: Royal Academy of Engineering, Prince Philip House, 3-4 Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5DG, United Kingdom

Who can I contact with a complaint?

If you have any questions or concerns about how your data is being used, please contact IES or Royal Academy of Engineering using the contact details above in the first instance so that we can try to resolve the matter. If you are not satisfied with the response, then contact the Information Commissioner’s Office - the independent body responsible for regulating data protection within the UK. Further information on your rights is also available from the ICO, who can deal with any complaints you may have regarding our use of your data.

■   Tel: 0303 123 1113

■   Email: casework@ico.org.uk

■   Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF