Building a sustainable future for women in construction

The construction workforce is currently just 15% female, according to the Office for National Statistics – a statistic that may not come as a surprise given the industry’s historically male-dominated nature. But times are changing.

Increasingly, we are seeing a growing appetite from younger generations of women who want to enter the sector – recognising the diverse range of career opportunities available in construction.

Despite this shift in perception, we are still struggling to catch up with other sectors when it comes to gender diversity.

This is because we are faced with the perfect storm of an ageing male workforce and a younger generation of both men and women struggling to access careers in the sector.

As a sector facing an ongoing skills crisis, and increasing pressure to create spaces for the wider community to thrive, fostering diversity provides a solution to many of our issues.

In fact, research has found that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity are 15% more likely to financially outperform the national industry median.

As an industry tasked with creating spaces for a diverse range of people, it makes sense to have an equally diverse workforce involved in the construction process.

While women make up 30% of project management roles, according to Association for Project Management research, the proportion of females in the construction workforce is half of that.

If construction companies aim to effectively serve their clients, they must ensure their own teams mirror that diversity.

Our recent apprenticeship recruitment drive saw an impressive 115 female applicants for 17 available roles. This clearly demonstrates that there are young women out there who are eager to propel themselves into a career in construction.

The problem lies not in a lack of appetite, but in an insufficient number of opportunities to accommodate their career aspirations.

Even if all 17 of Seddon’s apprentice roles were filled by women, approximately 85% of the female applicants would still be left without roles.

This sends a discouraging message: there is no space for women in our industry. The reality is that there are simply too few opportunities for anyone wanting to begin a career in construction, regardless of their gender.

Young women are queuing up to be let in, but essentially being told that there aren’t enough seats at the table.

Apprenticeships are the primary pathway for this eager generation of women to enter construction. But our industry is predominantly made up of sole traders and SMEs that don’t always have the time or financial resources to employ an apprentice.

In addition to this, our transient workforce and specialist skills make it almost impossible for smaller businesses to facilitate the demands of the current curriculum.

These major challenges mean that employers in the sector are constantly letting down the next generation of workers, either by denying them employment opportunities or by cutting their apprenticeship short because they simply cannot deliver the learning opportunities required.

Equally important is retaining female talent. Women often leave the sector at key life stages, such as starting a family, which is an incredible loss as we invest time and resources in nurturing their skills, only to suddenly lose them.

We must explore ways to better support new mothers and incentivise women to stay, such as enhanced support for new mothers, flexible working arrangements and structured return-to-work programmes.

By creating a more inclusive and supportive environment, we can encourage women to build lifelong careers in construction.

As an industry, we need the new government to invest in skills development and implement female-focused policies to support women at all stages of their careers.

Vocational colleges must work closely with industry to ensure quality apprenticeship opportunities that provide the knowledge needed for success. And the construction industry itself must step up and provide opportunities for women.

At Seddon, we are committed to prioritising diversity and inclusion in recruitment and retention practices.

But we cannot do it alone – it will take a concerted effort from the entire industry. Only then can we build a resilient workforce capable of sustaining the growth of our infrastructure. 

Nicola Hodkinson is the owner and director of Seddon.