Diagnosing and Fixing the Leaky Pipe

Women remain significantly underrepresented in nondestructive testing (NDT), comprising roughly only 7–8% of the workforce in some estimates. Qualitative and quantitative evidence from NDT and adjacent STEM fields indicates a persistent “leaky pipe” across the career lifecycle: leaks occur at formative education stages, at entry into field roles, during family-formation years, at mid-career plateaus, and at senior leadership. This article examines where leakage occurs in NDT, why women leave, and which interventions show promise. The digitalization and automation of NDE—sometimes referred to as NDE 4.0—also create an opportunity to redesign roles and workplace cultures for inclusion, improving retention, safety, and business outcomes if leaders pair technology adoption with structural changes in pay equity, scheduling, mentorship, and accountability.

Introduction

Despite strong demand for technicians, inspectors, and engineers, NDT’s talent pool does not reflect the broader population. In 1977, women represented 3% of the workforce, and although that number has risen to 7–8% according to some sources [1], it still falls far short of what would be needed to meaningfully address the workforce gap crisis. The underrepresentation of women is not due to a lack of ability, interest, or even awareness of NDT (no more than for anyone else), but rather to structural and cultural factors that accumulate over time.

NDE 4.0 and the broader digitalization of inspection introduce opportunities to redesign workflows in ways that reduce unnecessary field burdens, enable remote data review, support robotics-assisted tasks, and create more predictable and flexible job designs. Importantly, technology alone does not solve cultural or structural barriers; meaningful progress occurs only when digital tools are paired with intentional organizational redesign.

To address these cultural and structural challenges, we must first understand them.