This is how it feels to be a woman in construction
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When Eleanor Deeley opens the boot of her car, her children’s friends assume the hard hat, muddy boots and high-vis jacket belong to the man of the house.
But despite the ingrained sexist conclusion that building sites are where only men work, the kit belongs to Eleanor, who visits building sites regularly as part of her work as the joint managing director of a construction firm.
“One of the funniest things is when I take the children and their friends places, I open the boot of my car and there’s my site kit. Their friends go, ‘Is this your dad’s?’ and the children say, ‘No, that’s my mum’s’,” says Deeley.
“It’s interesting to see that’s, sadly, still the assumption children make.”
It’s an understandable one though, as Deeley, 47, admits there aren’t many women who work in construction, even for her company, Deeley Group , where she’s been joint MD with her father, Peter, for the last five years.
“There are very few women on site – it’s a really low percentage,” she says. “Interestingly, since I joined, I can verify that the quality of the women’s toilets has improved and they’re no longer used as store cupboards, which was often the case before.”
Although mum-of-two Deeley now works for the family business, which was started by her grandfather George after WWII, she didn’t join straight after school, as she was determined to forge her own career. “I wanted to go out and do something of my own, to prove I was capable in my own right,” she explains.
She studied theology at Edinburgh University, intending to become a lawyer, but decided that wasn’t for her, and went to work for Procter & Gamble as an assistant brand manager. “I was useless at that,” she admits with a smile.
After trying many different roles, she ended up qualifying as a surveyor, eventually focusing on development and moving through different sectors, before joining the family firm in Coventry five years ago, “partly because there was a recognition my father wasn’t going to be here forever”, she says.
“I had established myself, my reputation and my career, and maybe I felt more secure – I knew I was competent, that I could do the role.”
Her job, she says, is to set company strategy, to ensure the quality clients expect is delivered, and to look for new business opportunities. The company’s turnover has trebled since she joined, she says, primarily because she quickly realised there was opportunity to expand into the healthcare sector.
She also visits building sites several times a week, “to resolve any issues”, and admits she’s experienced sexism as one of the only women in a male-dominated industry. “There have been comments like, ‘don’t you think you should be at home looking after the children?’” she says. “I particularly found there was more sexism once I had the children – people couldn’t understand why I wasn’t at home looking after them.
“But it’s definitely easier than it used to be. I think cultures have changed in the last 20 years, which is good.”
Deeley firmly believes more women should work in the construction industry, which she says she loves because it “gives you an ability to change people’s lives in a way that very few professions can” – and also because of the people who work in the industry. “People think construction is about bricks, but for me, construction is all about the people,” she says. “The subcontractors, contract managers, clients, you have some really interesting people that solve problems in really unique ways.”
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Deeley visits schools a lot, trying to encourage young people to join the construction industry, but laments: “I think it’s become harder. For school-aged people, there’s almost less interest than there used to be from females, which is ridiculous really, because there’s so much opportunity.
“I’m hoping it’s changing. I think you have to see it to be it, and when I go into schools, people are surprised to see women in construction – it just hasn’t entered their thought process. But the earning capacity is good in the sector, we have flexible working a lot more, and so there’s the prospect that going forward, we should be able to attract more women into the sector.”
More women in building can only be a good thing, she insists – but does she think other construction companies are interested in attracting them?
“Definitely,” she says, “Every building contractor you speak to will say they desperately try to recruit women, and desperately try to recruit diversity across the board.”
She says women often take a very holistic view of clients and understand the drivers and motivators of delivery in construction. “And often, women are fantastic at multitasking, understanding the different issues and constraints and looking to find the right solution. And they’re very good at managing people. A lot of the skills traditionally believed to be female skills are exactly the same skills that you want on site.”
She admits women in the industry “often have to prove themselves twice”, but points out: “I think once you do, there’s a higher level of trust. But sometimes, particularly when you’re starting out in your career and building your reputation and experience, you’ve had to fight harder to be at the table.
“Women who come into this industry tend to be very determined, dedicated and a real asset to companies, and it’s really important to try and attract them, because it brings more skill, and more aptitude.
“Having women in the construction business adds value.”
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