Can we get more women working in construction?
Gavin J Gallagher
Managing Director at EastPoint | Commercial Portfolio Manager | Speaker | Podcast Host | Property Investment Mentor
It’s International Women’s Day this Saturday, 8th March. Not only that, in the US they’re smack bang in the middle of Women in Construction Week 2025, which has been running since 1953.
As the father of four daughters, it’s really important to me that they have every chance to get where they want in life, regardless of their gender. If a particular sector (like the one I work in) is male-dominated, does that mean that they should automatically discount ever working within it?
The stats
When it comes to women working in construction, there’s an eye-opening number of stats available.
According to Go Construct, women make up only about 15% of the construction industry (although that number is slowly rising). Not only that, did you know:
(Source)
So whilst women do work in construction, it’s pretty clear that it’s not anywhere close to an even playing field, as far as gender equality goes.
Challenges and barriers
Way back on Episode 164 of the podcast, I spoke to The Apprentice finalist Michaela Wain, who is an ambassador for women in construction and owns five construction-related companies, asking why we weren’t seeing more people like her rising through the ranks.
Her take on things is that there’s a distinct lack of female role models for girls to look up to in the sector. Her family all worked in the trade and so it was part of her world from a young age, but without that influence, it’s something of a chicken and egg scenario. A lot of young men might go into construction because a family influence, but without a mother or an aunt (or other female role model), young women may not realise there are opportunities open to them.
Similarly, women of Michaela’s age may not want to encourage their girls to pursue careers in the trade, because it was drilled into them (no pun intended) from an early age that a building site is no place for a woman, not to mention their own experiences of what it used to be like walking past worksites, with the cliched concept of the wolf-whistling builder – why would they encourage that kind of place to work for their daughters? ?
(Not) a nice place to work?
By “that kind of place”, I’m talking about the workplace culture itself. There’s no denying that a working on a building site is certainly dirty, but it can be toxic too. Building sites are often perceived to be inhospitable and unwelcoming for woman.?
During our conversation, Michaela told me that she’d often struggled on site visits and was often ignored, with people thinking she was there just to take notes, and if she asked a question, the answers being directed at the men in her team rather than to her!?
Adding to that of course, we come back to the point about children. There’s a distinct lack of flexibility when it comes to having and raising kids, and as Michaela said to me, ‘building a wall when you're eight and a half months pregnant is more difficult for you than it is for a man!’. Issues that exist in other industries can be magnified in construction, such as tight timescales and when people have to be on site.?
Breaking walls and smashing ceilings?
So, if those are the challenges, what can we do to mitigate them and bring more women into the industry? How can we open up what looks like it’s a closed shop??
It all comes down to education. Firstly, construction isn’t just the intensely physical graft that we’ve been brought up thinking it is. There are so many other roles available that aren’t gender specific (and no, I don’t mean making the tea!): think about your quantity surveyors, your project managers, or your architects. ??
Very few of these things are mentioned to kids at school-age level, and without many public-facing women talking about what they do, then there’s a real lack of knowledge about how broad the career opportunities really are. ?It also wouldn’t hurt to have a little more female representation when it comes to things like Lego and Minecraft: making a female presence the norm rather than the unusual.?
Beyond the building site
Education is a long-term solution, but of course it’s going to take time to filter through. There’s far more to the sector than physically working on a site. Gone are the days when construction was solely about physical labour and traditional trade work!
Much like the rest of the world, construction is experiencing a remarkable digital transformation, opening up exciting opportunities for women with great tech skills. Today, the sector has become a sophisticated field that increasingly relies on advanced digital technologies, creating innovative career paths that challenge traditional perceptions.
Data has become the new cornerstone of construction management. Advanced analytics, predictive maintenance technologies, and artificial intelligence-powered project management tools are changing how construction companies operate. Women with backgrounds in data science, computer science, and strategic analysis are finding increasingly important roles in helping construction firms make more informed, efficient decisions.
The tech explosion of the last few years means that the industry is creating entirely new career categories that didn't exist a decade ago. Digital construction managers, technology integration specialists, and sustainable design coordinators are just a few examples of roles that combine technological innovation with traditional construction expertise. These positions offer women the opportunity to be at the forefront of an industry in transformation, challenging outdated stereotypes about what a career in construction can look like.
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There’s definitely a trend towards equality when it comes to the construction sector, but it’s clear that there’s still a long way to go. If you work in construction and want to see the number of women working in the sector increase, why not think about mentoring a female colleague or creating apprenticeship opportunities specifically targeted at young women? You could also think about reviewing your workplace policies to ensure they support flexibility and create a truly inclusive environment for all employees, as well as championing women's achievements in your organisation. Finally, ensure female voices are heard in meetings and decision-making processes – a different perspective could be invaluable!
If you’d like to hear more of my conversation with Michaela Wain about the role of women in construction, head to episode 164 of the podcast, (or you can watch it on YouTube here).
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