New research highlights the persistent gender disparity in trade roles.
- Electricians, plumbers, and carpenters show the largest gender gaps.
- 15.8% female representation in construction is not reflected in these roles.
- Electrians top the list with a deficit of nearly 30,000 female workers.
- Efforts are needed to improve gender equality in these trades.
In recent findings, the gender disparity within the UK construction industry has been markedly highlighted, especially in the trade roles of electricians, plumbers, and carpenters. Despite female representation in the sector reaching a record 15.8%, these specific roles continue to lag significantly behind.
The analysis, conducted by a leading metal supplier in the UK, revealed that while there should ideally be 118,460 women across the top ten trade roles, the actual figure stands at just 19,560. This unveils a substantial shortfall of 98,900 women, underscoring the need for targeted interventions to bridge this gap.
Electricians are revealed to have the largest gender gap, with only 3,574 women in the role compared to an expected 33,022, highlighting a deficit of 29,448 women. Following closely are plumbers and carpenters, exhibiting discrepancies of 26,158 and 13,191 women respectively. The gender representation in these trades remains exceedingly low, with women constituting a mere 1.1% of carpenters, 1.7% of electricians, and 2% of plumbers.
Further analysis shows that while roles like glaziers, plasterers, and those covering floors and walls have relatively smaller deficits, they still reflect an underlying gender imbalance. Interestingly, painters boast the highest percentage of female tradespeople at 5.1%, yet this remains well below the ideal percentage.
Paul McFadyen, Chairman of the metal supplier, commented on the findings, recognising the improvement in women’s representation in construction history, yet acknowledging that this progress has not effectively permeated into many of the top trades. He stated, “While the industry has taken significant steps forward and made considerable progress in gender equality, there is still some way to go to improve female representation across all roles.”
Closing the gender gap in trade roles requires ongoing efforts and substantial industry changes.
