More than half of people working in construction have witnessed or experienced sexism.
A new survey by the Considerate Constructors Scheme found that 52% of people had experienced some type of sexism while within the industry and 94% thought the industry would benefit from employing more women.
The survey, which questioned more than a 1,000 women and men, is part of the body’s campaign Spotlight on…women in construction, launched to boost awareness and industry effort to attract more women into the construction industry.
Not all figures in the survey were discouraging and there is a clear indication that some progress has been made over the past year. However, there is still more to do.
The survey findings revealed that 76% said there are no construction jobs which only men can do and 74% said there should not be quotas for hiring women into construction.
The new campaign pulls together the latest examples of best practice, case studies from women working across the construction industry, legal requirements and links to useful organisations encouraging women to work in construction.
The campaign extends the Scheme’s influence in this area, by complementing its monitoring checklist which asks several questions about equality and diversity to raise standards across the thousands of CCS-registered sites, companies and suppliers.
As the importance of having role models is critical, the campaign has also interviewed a number of women within the industry to examine what opportunities and challenges they have faced and why construction offers a great career for women of all ages, backgrounds and skills.
Case study contributions include: Roma Agrawal, structural engineer at Aecom; Stephanie Bennett, trainee quantity surveyor, Morgan Sindall; Victoria Betts, senior site manager, Higgins Construction; Margaret Conway, project manager for McAleer & Rushe and winner of CIOB Construction Manager of the Year 2017 Award; and Michèle Dix, managing director, Crossrail 2.
Crossrail 2’s Michèle Dix said: “Women are still under-represented at present but I think we are starting to move in the right direction. We need to recognise the need for more flexible working arrangements, especially if we are to encourage women back after taking time off for children.
“I think there are lots of opportunities out there and one message I would give to my fellow women colleagues is ‘go for them!’ Be confident in your own abilities. The industry has so much to offer.”
