Three in 10 women in construction say industry is sexist

Some 30% of women working in construction believe sexism stops them from pursuing senior roles in the industry, according to research by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

And 38% of male construction workers believe their skills are better suited to the sector than women.

Workplace sexism hit the headlines last week, after revelations of a huge gender pay gap among BBC staff, and official statistics show construction is one of the worst offenders. The average pay gap between male and female construction supervisors is 45%, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Some 39% of the 1,000 workers surveyed by RICS believe construction companies are not doing enough to attract females into the sector.

And over a third of women (35%) identified more flexible hours as a means to encourage them to stay in the sector.

But nearly half (46%) of all workers think the industry’s gender pay gap will shrink to less than 15% by April 2018, when the government’s mandatory reporting period on gender pay ends. The average pay gap across all industry is 18.1%.

Sean Tompkins, chief executive of RICS, said: “Today’s findings highlight that achieving gender equality in the construction sector requires significant commitment. Over a third (38%) of both men and women across the industry that companies are not doing enough to attract females into the sector.

“It is primarily the responsibility of individual organisations, to invest in schemes and nurture more inclusive cultures that support women to hold more senior roles in the construction industry.

“RICS believes diversity and an inclusive culture has to be embedded as part of your business strategy and DNA because you simply cannot afford to not have a diverse workforce today and for the future. Increasingly, clients will expect it and to win the war for talent you will need a diversity of visible role models.”