Gender Diversity in the UK Construction Industry

Abstract

For many years, there has been an assumption that the UK construction industry is devoid of gender diversity. Part of this assumption was predicated on the representation of workers in construction sites, who are predominantly male. However, there are many positions in the construction industry that are not public-facing, and the question is whether the assumption that males fill most of these roles is also true. This issue has existed in the construction industry for many years; it appears that placing the sole onus on construction companies to employ more women may not be producing the desired level of progress. This research aim to establish whether clients can influence gender diversity in the construction industry with an objective of determining the current position of inequality in the construction industry; and existing incentives and frameworks. The research adopted an exploratory approach, with data collected through existing literature and records of 20 major construction companies, followed by interviews with Six individuals working for UK construction companies and clients of varying sizes. The study will awaken the construction industry and how it can initiate new proposals or support schemes that have worked previously, to encourage more women to join the construction industry. It reveals that clients have an important role to play if the construction industry is to improve on gender diversity through contractual commitments that could be monitored regularly throughout the duration of a project.