Women in construction
The construction industry may be one of the first things that comes to mind when you think of an industry dominated by men – and it still is, with women making up less than 11% of all those working in the construction sector in Europe.
In fact, the construction industry only benefits from about 1.25 percent of women in the workforce, with only 1 woman in 100 working in the industry's "front line"! According to Ranstad, statistics in the UK show that just under 87 percent of women working in the construction industry hold office positions, and only about 2.5 percent of salespeople are women. Women also make up only about 14% of senior executives and 7% of senior positions.
At CPG Europe, 71 percent of employees are men, while 29 percent are women. During the month of March, when we celebrated International Women's Day, you who follow us via our European LinkedIn channel have been able to see examples of some of the roles that our female employee works in.
These roles include Head of Branding and Design, Group HR Manager, Specification Manager, Senior Market Manager, Digital Marketing Project Manager and many more.
Women pave the way
Although statistics show that the proportion of women is still very low, women are paving the way into the construction industry across Europe and the UK. In the UK, a 9% increase in women working in managerial roles was recorded in the sector between 2018 and 2020.
In France, where women make up about 30% of students at technical colleges, only 2% still work in the construction industry. Construction companies in the industry are trying to correct this gender imbalance, with one of the companies reinvesting €500 million in a deal containing three key figures, one of which is to increase the representation of female supervisors on their construction sites. Although the relationship may not yet be equal, it is a known area of focus.
In Sweden, according to Statistics Sweden, only 11 percent of employees are women. In 2018, the Government set a target that at least 25 per cent of new employees in the construction industry should be women by 2030.
Gender equality paves the way for diversity
The unequal ratio of men and women is nothing new in the construction industry. In fact, there are entire international awareness weeks to draw attention to the problem of gender inequality such as "Women in Construction Week" which occurs in the first week of March each year and this year ran from 6-12 March.
"Women in Construction" was founded in 1953 by 16 women working in the construction industry as a way to raise awareness and to tell the story of women in construction, their challenges and how they have overcome them. To celebrate and show appreciation for the women who have taken the sometimes challenging step of entering the construction industry, but also to encourage those who are interested to start in the industry.
One way to raise awareness and work for a change in Sweden is through various scholarships and awards that are awarded to female craftsmen in the industry who are good ambassadors for their profession. One example is Construction Woman of the Year, where the goal is for the award to contribute to increased diversity and secure the supply of skills in the industry.
At CPG Europe, we pride ourselves on our inclusive nature and feel that our diversity is a great asset that is appreciated by our customers. If you are curious about job opportunities with us - see vacancies here!
