With the skills shortage a pressing industry issue, many construction professionals are exploring how encouraging women, a demographic who currently only occupy 14% of construction jobs, to join the sector could potentially tackle the skills issue. Although there are various reports and statistics, all research finds that there are significantly less women working in construction than there are men, despite trade jobs being a brilliant career path for all, regardless of gender. The good news is that the number of women working within construction is increasing; according to Go Construct, 37% of new entrants that came into the industry from higher education were women, however, here at TIMco, we believe that this statistic can be higher still, and so we thought that we’d delve into the reasons why the construction industry is still considerably male dominated and what can be done to promote the sector to more women.
Largely reports claim that women are discouraged from considering construction careers due to the stereotypical male image of trades job. Although this is a dated image it does still exist and, as a result, many have never even encountered a woman in a trade job - in Southampton alone, 76% of those surveyed had never met a female in a main construction trade role (plumber, electrician, carpenter or builder), despite 87% adding that they would like to see more women in such roles. Further research adds that many women are dissuaded from trade careers due to worry that they won’t be taken seriously, fears of unequal career progression opportunities and potential prejudice.
However, thanks to the likes of Builders’ Merchants News and their ‘Women in Merchanting Roundtable’ initiative and The Considerate Constructors Scheme ‘Spotlight on…’ campaign (to name a few!) these perceptions are being tackled head on and are having a positive effect, with Go Construct reporting an increase in women are choosing a career in construction.
As well as these campaigns, some are offering a more ‘hands-on’ approach. This summer, Orkidstudio launched a series of workshops across the London borough of Hackney in an effort to encourage “social change through building” that highlighted the benefits of careers in architecture, design and construction. Ran, by women, for women aged 14 – 21, the workshops’ intent was to offer experience to the younger generation who may be in the first stages of considering their career paths. Although this particular event was limited to Hackney, we are confident that it will inspire and kickstart the launch of similar events on a national scale in the not too distant future.
Here at TIMco, we know how important it is to not only address the skills shortage, but to also address the issues of gender diversity within the industry. The construction sector offers a range of jobs, all of which are suitable for all genders and have many benefits, from variation, to flexibility and growth. Although we still have a long way to go until the stats are more equally weighted, the effort from the industry as a whole has been incredible and is proving effective and we can’t wait to see how the industry looks a year from now. Let us know your thoughts on how we can attract more women to the industry by dropping us a tweet.