International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.
This is particularly important in the UK construction industry, where there are still only:
• 3% of women in manual trades
• 5% of women in engineering
• 8% of women in haulage
• 12% of women in professional roles.
It’s clear from these numbers that a lot more has to be done in order to encourage more women into the industry and make it a more diverse and inclusive profession as a whole.
Here at JMAC we recognise that having a diverse workforce is essential and beneficial to the success of our company. Women are a viable component of the construction industry & it is important for women to see construction as a new avenue for work and building a successful career.
Becky Hesse, Office Manager at JMAC Safety Systems shared some words on International Women’s Day.
“At present; the construction industry has the worst male to female ratio of any industry in the UK and working for JMAC Safety Systems as the Office Manager in an office of predominantly males, I can certainly see the truth in this statistic.
Women’s skillsets differ hugely to men’s – this means there is an advantage of being one of a number of females in the company. Having a more equal gender ratio within the office offers a wider range of ideas, skills and varying viewpoints; all creating a more dynamic and interesting office.
I think it’s important to remove the stereotype that being a certain gender lends itself to certain careers from a young age. Young girls in school should feel comfortable knowing they can work in construction when they grow up – should they wish, and equally if a little boy shows an interest in hairdressing, they should be encouraged to follow this through.
I would recommend working in the construction industry to other women and encourage more women to consider roles in predominantly male-dominated industries. I get to meet people from a range of businesses and backgrounds on a daily basis. My role is very varied and interesting; no two days are the same. I am proud to be a woman employed in a male-dominated industry.
Happy International Women’s Day!”
