Construction Jobs for Women
While construction is traditionally a male-dominated industry, there should be nothing stopping women from taking on their dream role in construction.
In this guide, we dive into some great construction jobs for women and how the industry is changing for the better. We also cover your rights as a worker, as it is important to know that employers cannot discriminate.
Your Rights in the Workplace
UK law protects women’s rights in the workplace. Employers are not allowed to discriminate against women when giving them a job, deciding on their pay, or promoting. This is the case for all industries, including construction.
The Equality Act 2010 protects your rights. The act makes it unlawful for an employer to discriminate against you because of your sex. This includes direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, harassment, and victimisation. For instance, an employer can’t discriminate based on you requiring Maternity Leave.
The law also requires employers to take steps to prevent any other type of discrimination from happening in the workplace. This means that they must have policies in place that prohibit discrimination and make sure everyone working for a company feels included.
Whether this happens in practice is up for debate. The gender pay gap is one of the biggest issues in the industry, with SAMS reporting that women get paid 38% less than men in the industry.
Fortunately, many companies in the construction industry would definitely welcome more women. Diversity-positive employers will ensure that women in construction are paid the same as their male counterparts, too.
Construction Jobs for Women – Roles in the Construction Industry
The bottom line is that any role in the construction industry should be open to women. Below, we delve into some of the areas of construction and roles that anyone can enjoy.
Construction jobs include:
- Architects. These professionals design and draw up plans and blueprints for construction sites.
- Carpenters. They work to build timber structures, such as scaffolding or decking, using woodworking tools.
- Manual labourers. They assist with building work on a site, which might mean digging trenches or mixing concrete.
- Roofers and glaziers. They install roofs and windows by nailing, screwing, glueing or attaching fittings to the frame of the house.
- Quantity surveyors. They manage the costs and timing of construction projects.
- Tilers, tilers and floor layers. They lay tiles on floors or walls to create a decorative finish in bathrooms and kitchens, for example.
- Site managers. These site managers oversee all aspects of work at a project location from start to finish. Leadership roles like this should be open to all genders.
These are just a few examples of construction site jobs for women. There are so many roles within construction and ways in which people can specialise.
Simply put, there is no role or construction career path that shouldn’t be an option for women, and while there are some employers who have an old-fashioned outlook, plenty of inclusive employers provide equal opportunities.
Finding a Construction Role
The construction industry is still huge in the UK and provides such a large number of opportunities and construction projects to get involved in.
To find a construction role with a diversity-positive employer that has a track record of inclusivity, check our latest job postings. The opportunities listed are for everyone to apply to regardless of gender and background.