Women in ConstructionHere at RIW, we have yet to recruit a female Technical Advisor – they simply don’t seem to exist! In spite of the fact that the construction industry is facing a skills shortage, women are still, most definitely, under-represented in the construction sector, accounting for just 11 per cent of the workforce (according to The Office for National Statistics).
At RIW 30 per cent of the workforce is female, which may seem to buck the trend. But my female colleagues and I don’t work on the technical side of things; our Technical Advisors and managers are all men.
As a business, however, we are seeing some interesting changes happen in relation to the gender diversity of our customers.
Increasingly more women architects
Although growth is slow, we work with more women architects now than say five years ago. For example, 25 per cent of our CPD attendees are women. In our experience however, the more senior female architects tend to be in smaller practices whilst the large London practices are still dominated by men at a senior level.
Fewer female engineers and contractors
Female engineers are more rare, however, and we see even fewer women contractors, which is typical of the industry. UKRC research showed that only 9 per cent of UK engineering professionals are women. This kind of statistic probably explains the reason RIW has never come across a female Technical Advisor.
Attracting more women to the construction sector
But, with women making up half our population, is anything being done to attract more women to the construction sector, especially in view of the skills shortage now being faced?
Thankfully, yes. One of the initiatives I’ve come across recently includes a scheme called Built By Her, run in partnership with the Government’s education programme, Inspiring the Future. The scheme will be coordinating workshops with 140,000 young women between the ages of 16 and 18, to encourage them to consider construction as a career.
There’s also a proactive network connecting young women in the construction industry to their female peers and role models. Despite its ‘pink’ title and rather clichéd feminine identity (it’s a bit Bic For Her for me), ‘Chicks with Bricks’ pulls together women from across the sector. Potentially tomorrow’s construction leaders…
What women want
I believe that attracting women to the industry is no different to attracting and retaining male employees: flexible working and home working for both men and women are what makes the difference in today’s society. An open culture that values individual contribution over presenteeism; enough variety in your current role and the prospect of progression; interesting colleagues who you don’t mind socialising with. This is the kind of culture RIW strives to create and it’s why we have so many long-term employees. So perhaps companies need to give both sexes permission to have a life outside work, as long as life inside work is productive and rewarding? I, for one, certainly believe that this approach would definitely attract more women to the industry.
Promote architecture, engineering and construction to those still in education
The real key though has to be in educating our young in the endless career opportunities available in architecture, engineering and construction. Developing a real interest in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects from an early age has to be crucial if we’re to see more women in construction in the future.
PS. If you know any expert female Technical Advisors out there, do get in touch!
By Sarah Patrick, Marketing Manager at RIW Ltd
