CAMPAIGN Sexual harassment / Women in Construction


ENOUGH IS ENOUGH


Across the sector a third of women have been sexually harassed. Unite’s new Women in Construction says ‘enough’s enough’.


For any woman working in construction, the results of Unite’s recent survey on sexual harassment come as no surprise. That includes Unite rep Tracey Whittle, pictured right.


“I’ve worked in the industry for 25 years, and nothing in it shocked me,” she tells buildingWORKER.


The survey’s findings are stark: around a third – 31 per cent – of women in construction have reported being sexually harassed at work.


Just under one in five had been a victim of workplace sexual coercion.


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The vast majority of those higher up in the chain in construction are men. Because of this level of male dominance in the industry from top to bottom, nothing will change until you change that toxic masculine mindset


Tracey Whittle, Unite equalities rep


The survey, part of Unite’s Zero tolerance to sexual harassment campaign, also found two-thirds of women in construction had experienced unwanted flirting, gesturing or sexual remarks, while 70 per cent had been the recipient of sexually offensive jokes, and 54 per cent had been inappropriately touched.


Over four in 10 had been shared or shown pornographic images by a manager, colleague or third party.


Tracey says she has experienced many of the different forms of sexual harassment identified in the survey. In one job, Tracey was inappropriately touched – on numerous occasions.


“No, I didn’t go to management, because no one was going to do anything about it,” she said.


Tracey speaks from experience. She said the one time she did report an incident to management – an incident that so bothered her that she nearly crashed her van afterwards – nothing came of it.


“Management said I must be lying because otherwise I would have spoken up about it earlier.”


16 unite buildingWORKER Spring 2026


The understandable reticence to report sexual harassment was also reflected in Unite’s survey. Over three quarters – 76 per cent – of respondents did not report incidents. And like Tracey, their experience wasn’t a one-off. Just over half have been sexually harassed at work more than twice.


Respondents also reported their own personal experiences, with one woman recalling how a male colleague kept touching her and her colleagues inappropriately.


“When we approached the manager, the person in question got spoken to, but the culprit then went round telling everyone we were dangerous b**ches for reporting him.”


Some respondents said it was common to continue working with abusers after reporting incidents, or some were even forced out of their jobs.


One respondent said, “I was sexually harassed by my manager in a previous job for several months. I finally built up the courage to confide in the company owner who reassured me that I’d done the right thing by telling him.


“The following morning he sacked me. It devastated me…”


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Justin Paget


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