Launched to mark International Women’s Day, a new report by online construction community, On The Tools, has discovered that 78% of tradeswomen face discrimination in their role, most frequently encountering negative comments and harassment. The research surveyed 474 tradeswomen across the UK to uncover what it’s like to work in construction in 2022.
As part of the report, On The Tools also partnered with YouGov to survey 2,000 adults. From this YouGov survey, 78% of women consumers, and 66% of men said they would not consider a career in construction.
The white paper also uncovers many promising drivers for women to enter the construction industry, with 77.37% of self-employed tradeswomen feeling job satisfaction – 25% of whom self-rated as ‘extremely satisfied’ with their career.
Several real-life experiences from tradeswomen are featured in the report, highlighting the breadth of opportunities for women, including the real earning potential within the trade.
Commenting on the white paper, Clare Harding, Brand Director of On the Tools, said: “The level of discrimination the report reveals is dissappointing, but despite all hurdles, we know from listening to the women who have been part of the research, that construction can be a great career choice.”
“There is still a lot of work to be done, both to increase representation of women in industry, as well as to improve education and resources on the topic in order to address discrimination head-on. By taking steps to understand what it is like for women in the industry, as well as uniting construction brands and industry bodies, there can be the focus needed on representation, working conditions and on encouraging women to enter the industry.”
The report also highlights that discrimination can also manifest in the physical facilities available for women on-site, with only 22.15% of tradeswomen stating that they always have access to a women’s toilet. When asked about their pay in comparison to their male counterparts, only 29.75% of tradeswomen surveyed felt they were paid the same as men, and figures provided by report sponsor Rated People stated that women get paid just 72% of what men do on average for trade roles.
The white paper (which can be downloaded here) found that the majority of tradeswomen were in favour of improving education and raising awareness to tackle the issue of discrimination rather than enforcing harsher measures on perpetrators.
The report is supported by: Bosch, Band of Builders, Dulux, Fischer, Rated People, Register of Tradeswomen, Speedy, Toolstation and Youthbuild.