New research campaign reveals that women are intimidated by the high number of men in the construction industry.
With women only accounting for 11% of the construction industry, a ground-breaking new survey has exposed how legacy perceptions are still influential in deterring women from entering construction.
In an effort to understand why the industry is still saturated with men and recognise what is holding women back; housing and community regeneration specialist, Keepmoat, commissioned research which spoke directly to 16-25 year olds, who are facing the pivotal years of career selection.
Of those interviewed, just 13% of females said they would consider a career in the construction industry, compared to 21% of men. A massive 46% of females listed the limitations for women to progress as the key driver behind that decision; while 47% noted the high proportion of men in the business makes it intimidating.
One of the more surprising findings, was that nearly a third (29%) of women, think that roles are limited to on-site work; while a further 30% viewed the field as ‘strenuous’.
Dave Sheridan, Chief Executive of Keepmoat, said: “It’s concerning that in 2017, nearly a third of women still view a career in construction as hard hats, digging or bricklaying. Yes that’s a major part of the production – and one which we still encourage women to consider – but there are endless opportunities in design, land and planning, surveying, sales, business development or marketing; the list goes on.
“The housing crisis is at the fore of the Government agenda and this ultimately means there has never been a better time to consider a career in construction. In order to meet the recommendations, we need to work hard to eradicate the looming skills crisis our industry is facing; and that means taking the time identify what is holding people back – particularly females.”
The research participants were also offered exclusive insights into the field and the majority of females interviewed (56%) were surprised to learn that the industry employs a significant number of women at executive, manager and director levels.
After hearing of the opportunities available, 72% of those who were questioned were in agreement that the industry needs to be doing more with schools and forming partnerships to highlight the benefits of entering the field.
About the research
Keepmoat questioned 1,000 young people (aged 16-25) across the UK in October 2016. 800 respondents were female, while 200 were male. Research was conducted by OnePoll.
