INSIGHT | WOMEN IN TUNNELLING


In relation to the gender pay gap, the 2024 statutory


returns show women at the UK’s ten biggest contractor companies are still paid 23 % less per hour on average than their male colleagues. This is the worst pay gap of all industries in the report. Within the last six years, since the gender-pay-gap reporting became mandatory, the big-contractor average has narrowed the pay gap from 27% to 23%. Based on this rate, it would take another two decades for our industry to catch up with the all-industry average. We have had to overcome daily reminders that we


don’t fit the mould: ideas repeated by male colleagues and suddenly accepted as brilliant; conversations prefaced with “let me just run you through the basics,” as though our credentials were somehow invisible. Many of us have confronted imposter syndrome not as a passing phase, but as a companion forged by years of subtle exclusion. The statistics reinforce this: according to a 2021 InnovateMR survey, 65% of professionals today suffer from imposter syndrome, 75% of female executives have experienced it, and over half of women aged 25–34 say they’re feeling it right now. But rather than be defined by it, we’ve learned to name it, challenge it, and grow in spite of it. On site, the challenges can be sharper: limited


Above: Kate Cooksey - first female Chair of BTS (2020-2022)


female-only washrooms on night shifts; long rotations that collide with caring responsibilities and high childcare costs; or, the unspoken pressure to ‘fit in’ with banter sometimes veers into uncomfortable territory. John Mitchell Lecturer 2024, Yvonne Ainsworth, highlighted important areas of progress, such as the availability of properly fitting personal protective equipment (PPE) for women, including options designed for pregnancy. The progress we’ve carved out is real, and it’s ours. PPE now comes in sizes and shapes that acknowledge the diversity of women’s bodies— including maternity wear. This isn’t just about better gear; it’s a signal that we are seen and expected to be on site, to stay, and to lead.


PRESENT


Our journey as women in construction has never been paved with ease or entitlement. Structural barriers, cultural norms, and persistent personal biases have long worked to keep women underrepresented in senior roles. Yet, here we are—thriving, leading, and transforming the industry—not because the system was designed to support us, but because we pushed forward regardless. Tunnelling is a highly skilled and challenging field,


but it remains one of the most male-dominated areas in construction. Women are also reshaping the UK tunnelling industry below the surface. But, as of 2024, women only make up just 14.7% of the UK construction workforce, with approximately 303,136 women employed compared to 1.76 million men. The BTS/ BTSYM membership sampling shows fewer than 12 % of UK tunnelling professionals identify as female, 52% of which are under 35. A slightly better figure is found among individual members under 35, where almost 28% identified as female.


32 | June 2025


Our progress within BTSYM As part of the BTSYM’s committee, we have created a Diversity, Inclusion & Wwomen in Tunnelling (DI&WiT) subgroup to lead specific initiatives aimed at making everyone feel like an integral part of the Society and turn good intentions into tangible change. We wanted to focus on advocating for inclusivity and ensuring that underrepresented groups in tunnelling feel supported. As the current chair of the BTSYM, I made it a priority


this term to ensure that women are not just present but visible and influential. Today, the BTSYM committee is the most diverse in our history, and more than half of our sub-committees are led by women. This matters. Our committee writes agendas, selects


award winners and mentors the next cohort; therefore, our perspective now guides future decisions and aids in making our industry more inclusive to all who want to be part of our community. One of the early DI&WiT initiatives was organising the first celebration of International Women’s Day, held


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