There have been many great changes in the Construction industry for women over the last 12 months according to the Construction Industry Federation survey.
The majority of women in the survey felt they have been supported by male colleagues throughout their construction career, with over 84% of females believing they were assisted by males as they progressed through the industry. 73% also reported positive and significant change towards female workers within the construction industry.
Within the same survey from Construction Industry Federation, 85% of current female workers currently working in the industry said they would recommend a similar career path to younger females, but there were still some issues.
One issue is the retention of female workers, which is partly due to the lack of flexibility in working hours for parents. Also, over 50% of female respondents agreed that was the problems with welfare or toilet facilities on site, mainly smaller sites, but suggested this has improved recently.
Another statistic that was reported 69% of female respondents believed they were treated differently because of their gender. Some believe this was in a positive way, having been spoken to more politely, however others believe they were treated as ‘bossy’ or found themselves often outspoken by older male colleagues.
President CIF and Regional Managing Director (Civils) with John Sisk & Son, Pat Lucey, said that construction industry is beginning to see "great change".
"There is no doubt that construction has traditionally been considered a male-dominated industry, but it is time to change that perception and to an extent that reality; not because it currently suits us to do so due to the skills shortage the industry is experiencing, but because it is the right thing to do," he said.
"We cannot afford to lag behind other industries any longer. We must look to best practice and delve deeper into the barriers to entry or indeed retention issues, which have affected or continue to affect our potential or actual female colleagues for far too long."
