A recent study highlights the substantial gender gap in the construction industry, especially among trade roles.
- Electricians, plumbers, and carpenters show the largest gender disparity, with significantly fewer women than expected.
- The study anticipates 118,460 women in top trade roles, but only 19,560 are currently present, indicating a major shortfall.
- Electricians experience the highest deficit, with just over 3,500 women instead of the expected 33,000+.
- Despite record-high female representation in construction, gender equality in many trades remains a distant goal.
The construction industry continues to grapple with a significant gender gap, as highlighted by a recent study examining various trade roles. Despite an overall record-high female representation of 15.8% ahead of Women in Construction Week, particular trades show stark disparities between expected and actual numbers.
Among electricians, the gap is the widest, with an expected 33,022 women but only 3,574 currently employed, resulting in a shortfall of 29,448. Similarly, the plumbing trade is missing 26,158 women, and carpentry and joinery lack 13,191 women, indicating a pervasive issue across these critical roles.
These trades, along with others like bricklaying, roofing, and painting, reflect a substantial underrepresentation of women. For instance, the percentage of female carpenters stands at just 1.1%, electricians at 1.7%, and plumbers at 2%.
The research undertaken by metals4U underscores the enormity of this gap, showing that the current female presence in these fields remains far below the expected standard. Despite some roles like glaziers, plasterers, and floor and wall covering showing smaller deficits, the overarching trend is clear: gender equality in these trades has yet to be achieved.
Paul McFadyen, Chairman of metals4U, remarked on the issue, emphasizing that while progress has been made, the representation has not trickled down to many important trades. “It’s fantastic to see women represented in construction at the highest level in recorded history, but this clearly hasn’t filtered down to many of the top trades yet,” he stated.
The path to gender equality in construction trades remains long, with significant efforts needed to close the substantial gender gap identified.
