How can we get more young women to consider a career in construction?

It is reported that women only make up around 14% of all construction industry professionals. To mark Women in Construction Week, Elle Cass, from SLR Consulting, discusses why high-level structural change is the key to attracting more women into the sector.

The construction industry has so much to offer in terms of a fulfilling career. The fact that around 9% of all working age people have chosen a career in construction indicates the sheer number of roles available. Personally, I love that no two days are the same and having to problem solve is hugely mentally stimulating for me. Construction has also allowed me to meet and work with a diverse range of people, something I see as a huge privilege.

While the industry has given me so much, it’s clear to see that it is still to this day dominated by men and regardless of the positive changes we’ve seen, women still have to work harder to gain the same recognition as their male counterparts.

I’ve worked for a range of organisations throughout my career, most of which offered specific training to women. While I’m pleased that training is being offered, the fact that it is tailored to women implies that women are doing something wrong in terms of progression. It also has implications in terms of our collective EDI obligations and the benchmark of offering the same training to all.

Training of this nature has been around for some time, but if you look at the composition of boardrooms, this either hasn’t changed at all or in some cases, very little. This tells us that the training being offered isn’t as effective as it could be and this is why high-level structural change is required across organisations to make the most out of the many outstanding women in the industry already and to attract new talent.

The industry has made positive strides in diversification of its teams and placing more women in decision-making positions, but there’s still progress to be made. Better representation of women and other underrepresented groups will improve debate and outcomes. Diversity in the composition of decision makers and strategists will deliver better built environment outcomes and in turn more successful businesses.

We are currently at a junction, where just like the conversation around brownfield development, we are in danger of recycling approaches which focus on training women, rather than making real structural changes to break down barriers to progression. Whilst I support the reuse of brownfield land, in planning policy terms, we seem to be looking backwards at a strategy which was implemented 20 years ago with PPG3. With the spotlight following policy changes by the secretary of state, we are not just recycling land, but recycling policy. The debate on how we can improve conditions for women in the industry is in danger of being repeated much in the same way– so as with working conditions for women, why aren’t we making quicker progress?

Unless there’s a step change reflected across the industry, we’ll always be returning to the conversation about how we can do more, with little progress being made, and that goes for getting women in higher positions across the sector as well. There’s also an opportunity for construction companies to lobby and support education providers to see how they can enhance the curriculum to entice more girls to get stuck in and consider it as a career option as they get older.

Academia holds a certain prestige, with manual vocations not necessarily getting the right airtime despite the potential opportunities they offer. There’s an enormous skills gap to bridge, and unless more of an effort is made to promote the opportunities and challenge perceptions that hands-on work is only for men, the industry may struggle longer term.

It’s great to have this spotlight on women in the industry for a week of the year but it should be kept in mind all year round, too. Progress is being made so there’s lots of reason to be optimistic that the glass ceiling is cracking, at least.

Elle Cass is head of strategic built environment growth at SLR Consulting