The life of Alice Perry, the first woman in Ireland and the United Kingdom to graduate with an engineering degree, is a significant chapter in the history of women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics ).
The beginning of the 20th century was a time where advances were being made in topics such as philosophy, science, literature, engineering and equality. In particular, progress was being made to allow women to access third-level education and employment in male-dominated fields.
This was also a significant time for the beginning of the suffragette movement, a militant campaign dedicated to fighting for women’s right to vote, led by Emmeline Pankhurst and the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU ).
Alice Perry was born on October 24, 1885 in Wellpark, county Galway. She was one of five daughters, all of whom were highly educated and strong supporters of the women's rights movement in Galway.
Her father, James Perry, was a mechanical engineer, known for his work on the navigational gyroscope. He and his brother, John Perry, founded the Galway Electric Light Company in 1888, located in an old flour mill in Newtownsmith.
At an early age, Perry began to show a love for mathematics and problem solving. She was educated at Millbrook House, then the High School Galway, where, thanks to her academic talents, she obtained a scholarship to attend Queen’s College Galway (now University of Galway ).
While Alice Perry began her third level education as an Arts student, she decided to switch to engineering after achieving outstanding results in maths. In October 1906, she successfully graduated with a first class honours degree in Civil Engineering.
After her father’s death the following month, she temporarily took over her father’s job as county surveyor for Galway County Council, involving travel around the west of Galway, inspecting public infrastructure. Unfortunately, she was unable to take on the permanent job as she did not meet the age or experience required, however, she still managed to come joint second among 17 candidates. To this day, she remains the first and only woman to have occupied the post of county surveyor in Ireland.
In 1908, she moved to London where she spent the next 17 years working as a lady factory inspector. This position involved the monitoring of laws in relation to women at work in industrial settings. Perry’s engineering training meant she had the technical knowledge to notice dangers such as exposure to toxic substances, for example mercury and lead. This made her highly skilled at her job.
During this time, she and other inspectors enforced the ‘Truck Acts’ (1831-1896 ), a series of laws that made it illegal for workers to be paid in goods or vouchers rather than in cash. The purpose of the law was to protect employees by prohibiting them from being forced to spend wages at company-owned stores.
Perry and her colleagues also fought to reduce unfair dismissal, discrimination in the workplace, and unsanitary working conditions.
Shortly before her death, Perry commissioned a memorial slab dedicated to her parents in the presbyterian church on Nun’s Island. Up until her death, she worked within the Christian Science movement as a poetry editor after moving to Boston in 1923. In total, she published seven of her own poetry books.
She died on April 21, 1969.
On October 30, 2017, the national university of Ireland, Galway held an official ceremony to mark the naming of the Alice Perry Engineering Building. A new scholarship was established on that same day, to encourage more female students to consider engineering as their career choice.
Alice Perry was a trailblazer for women in the field of STEM. Thanks to her work as County Surveyor, fighting for worker’s rights and becoming the first female graduate in a male-dominated field, her achievements paved the way for future generations of women to pursue careers in engineering.
Her legacy, like many other inspiring women, stands as a reminder to us all, to chase our dreams, despite whatever criticism or discrimination we may face along the way.
