Engineering professional body, the IET has voiced concern about falling government support for efforts to increase the number of women in engineering.
The government's main initiative for supporting women in science and engineering, known as UKRC, has lost funding.
According to the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), it is not clear what the government will do instead to support this important agenda.
"The lack of women in engineering is a significant problem, contributing to skills shortages which damage the economy,” said Dr Tony Whitehead, director of governance and policy at the IET.
“Our most recent skills survey found that only 5% of engineers and 4% of engineering technicians currently working in industry are women,” said Whitehead.
The IET said it invests time and resource into attracting more women into engineering, but addressing this issue also requires support from industry and government.
“It is a serious concern if the Government does not continue to provide effective support,” said Whitehead.
According to the IET, with main government funding for UKRC removed, the only support is a smaller programme managed by the Royal Academy of Engineering, with funding of just £200,000.
“This is less than 10% of the £2.5 million annual funding previously given to the UKRC,” said the IET.