Encouraging Girls in to Construction [2024]
STEM learning: Encouraging girls to consider a career in construction
In this article we will discuss:
- Women in engineering and construction
- Why careers in construction are appealing to females as more opportunities open up
- How can we encourage girls to consider a career in construction
- How to break the stigma associated with the construction industry
- Promoting career diversity and the roles available
For many young girls, a career within the construction industry is probably not at the top of the list when it comes to thinking about the future. NBS data found that only 20% of women were interested in pursuing a role within the construction industry. But a similar proportion also reported that peers and family have tried to dissuade them from taking a job in the sector.
Setting foundations for the future is something every parent hopes to do for their child and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) learning is a huge part of this. STEM learning allows children to grasp fundamental concepts about the natural world from a young age, which will lay the groundwork and possibility for deeper learning later on in their education.
This concept doesn’t have to be limited to the classroom either, parents can support and aid early STEM learning outside of the classroom. In this article, we take a look at the shocking truth of the lack of female workers in construction and what parents, teachers, and the industry itself can be doing to change this.
Women in construction and engineering
Historically, it has been conventionalised that the engineering and construction sector has been male-dominated. Despite the engineering industry being one of the fastest growing in the UK, women still only make up a small proportion of the workforce.
However, in recent years there has been a lot of attention being paid to making these sectors more diverse, to make it more acceptable for women to be a part of them; whether that be a craft or technical roles as well as managerial roles.
There are many benefits of having a diverse workforce, including increased productivity and creativity and even boosting a brand’s reputation. As of 2023, women only make up around 14% of construction industry professionals, however, this number is expected to rise with more and more women gradually beginning to seek jobs within construction and engineering. As more and more women or girls have pursued construction-related employment, misconceptions about gender-specific roles began to diminish with a growing number of women choosing a career in construction and engineering.
Having said that, there are still many issues that are affecting the retention and progression of aspiring female leaders.
How can we encourage girls to consider construction?
It is no secret that females aren’t opting for careers in the construction industry at a rate that has been hoped for, especially not within roles where workers are desperately needed.
It is important to encourage the next generation of workers to consider choosing a career in construction – not only to create a more diverse sector but because the industry is facing a problematic skills shortage. With an ageing workforce, difficulties in importing workers from abroad, and a lack of interest from young people, the construction industry looks certain to face a shortage of skills within the next decade.
So the question is what can we do to encourage women and girls to pursue a career in construction?
Set them up for success
Whether your daughter wants to be a teacher or a structural engineer, there are ways you can support her in her early years; teaching your daughter fundamental skills early on in their education will encourage enthusiasm. This will allow them to succeed in further education in relevant subjects as well as follow relevant steps in pursuing a STEM career path.
Don’t force it – make them aware of options
Think outside of the box – children are easily influenced and many factors mould them into the person they will be in the future. By opening their eyes to stuff they won’t tend to experience on a day-to-day basis, they will have a broader mindset and begin to make their own decisions. Encouraging hobbies and extracurricular activities that are related to construction such as small jobs around the house will spark natural curiosity. Even aspects such as TV shows and children’s toys are much more diverse – Barbie even comes as a builder now.
For many children, it is their upbringing and early experiences that influence who and what they want to become – so by opening their eyes to further opportunities, hopefully meeting demand in engineering and construction roles and careers can be done.
Break the stigma
It is possible that young girls – and women alike – might find the work environment within this sector intimidating due to its notoriously bad reputation. This bad rep has had a detrimental impact on businesses ability to recruit and retain people with the correct skills, meaning 1 in 5 roles are left unfilled.
With that being said, the roles available today aren’t just about hard hats and dirt – technology has allowed for a lot more opportunity as many roles don’t necessarily involve hard manual labour and so can be performed by anyone. Construction is rapidly evolving and by bringing awareness of the industry’s diverse opportunities to girls through community involvement and education, young women can be encouraged to pursue a career and be a part of something innovative and rewarding.
Protrade Managing Director, Craig Sanders believes that the growing diversification of opportunities and age-old taboos that have tainted the industry historically are making construction more accessible to women than ever before.
He said: “Women have always been in construction, but for a long time they’ve only been associated with roles like architecture and design. There’s a reason there has been a stigma about women and construction and comes down to the fact that, for a long time, women weren’t often seen on-site.
“There has definitely been a shift. Women are finding themselves in roles where it’s not just about designing something but building it, too. As more and more women enter the industry, the old stereotypes are being removed.”
Promote career diversity and the roles available
There are many different career options available, with plenty of them offering progression. From quantity surveyors to site managers and electricians, there are many options available. Making young girls aware of the benefits and opportunities within these roles is priceless. What’s more, having something – or someone – to aspire to is often all that’s needed to inspire change and initiate action.
As it stands, UK construction companies need to spend more time ensuring positive messages are sent out and get better at celebrating and drawing attention to the achievements of women and the exciting things they are doing within the industry. It is important to take advantage of the digital world – social media channels, tv, and blogs are a great way to provide coverage and create awareness about the work of existing females and the kind of opportunities that are on offer. It would also be beneficial to perhaps send female builders into schools and colleges to show young women and girls that construction and engineering roles, although male-dominated, are not just for men.
“Gender equality has come a long way in the UK over the last decade and far more businesses, more than ever before, are seeking equality in the work environment. That itself will only encourage more women to follow suit.” – Craig Sanders, Managing Director.
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Joint Managing Director, Protrade
Craig has over 30 years of experience at Protrade, working in various departments including sales, procurement, and marketing, and ultimately becoming Managing Director in 2008. Following the merger of Protrade and Joinery Fit-Out Supplies in 2018, Craig is now the joint MD of the company.
