24 NEWS FEATURE
WHAT CAN CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES DO TO IMPROVE GENDER EQUALITY?
3B Training looks at why the construction industry remains male-dominated, reviews the key statistics on women in construction, and gives tips on how construction companies can address the gender divide.
G
ender inequality is a long-stand- ing issue that has crept into every industry, and construction is no
different. Though many industries have a fairly even ratio of male to female employees at entry level, there are almost always fewer women at the top. A report from the Directory for Social
Change takes a comprehensive look at how imbalanced the gender ratio is in the UK. Using company CSR policies and
annual reports, the study was able to determine the gender statistics for 399 corporate boards. An analysis of the data shows that the
overall percentage of women on boards was around 22 per cent. Although small, this number is actually
higher than it was in 2013, where similar reports found that only 13 per cent of board members were women. However, of the remaining 78 per cent of compa- nies, 16 per cent still confess to having male-only boards. Addressing gender inequality and
calling for more women in the workplace is more than just trying to fill a quota, it could be the key to a company’s success.
GENDER INEQUALITY IN CONSTRUCTION Much like the tech, science and other STEM industries, the construction indus- try is still lacking on gender equality and is dominated by men. In 2007, female workers in construction constituted 12.1 per cent of the industry, whereas reports in 2016 showed that statistic only increased slightly to 12.8 per cent. In fact, a more recent study in 2018 by
Wise found that the number of female employees in construction numbered just 11 per cent, meaning the industry could actually be taking a step backwards. Even in 2019, as a training provider 3B
WWW.HBDONLINE.CO.UK
Training hasn’t seen a huge percentage of women walk through the door for training courses when compared to men. Of nearly 10,000 delegates we have booked on courses so far, only 15 per cent of those are women.
OVERLOOKING FEMALE TALENT When looking closer at the causes of gender imbalance in construction, a common issue seems to be that female employees aren’t given the same oppor- tunities as their male coworkers. Randstad interviewed 1,200 people
who experienced gender discrimination in the construction industry, 60 per cent of whom were women. Of the women surveyed, three-quarters say they feel overlooked for promotions because of
their gender, not their skills. It’s not just progression where women
feel like they’re missing out, either. A total of 8 in 10 women surveyed have felt left out of social events and conver- sations by their coworkers. This feeling of exclusion risks creating a toxic culture of bias throughout the industry.
WOMEN LEADERS IN CONSTRUCTION Due to the lower number of female workers in construction in general, it’s unsurprising to find that the industry is lacking in women at an executive level or higher. Nearly half of workers went so far as to say that they had never worked with a female manager. However, that doesn’t mean that the industry would react badly to more
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