The number of women in the construction industry has declined in the past year and has only improved by 12% in the past 10 years, according to ONS data.
This comes as no surprise, as a new study by personalised uniform, workwear and PPE suppliers, MyWorkwear, has revealed plumbing and electrical work to be the least inclusive industries for women. As a branded workwear provider who regularly collaborates with businesses across multiple industries, and actively discusses the need for women’s workwear options, their study looked to highlight further gender inequalities within the world of work.
The study* not only looks at accommodated workwear options for women, but also other factors, such as the gender pay gap, enhanced maternity pay options and menopause leave to decipher the ranking.
Flexible workwear.
The majority of industries studied provide very few female workwear options apart from some such as cleaning and beauty. Gayle Parker, Commercial Director at MyWorkwear comments on the study: “We actively speak to our customers and prospects across multiple industries to understand the concerns with female workwear and often, similar feedback is raised each time.
“Feedback often includes buttons gaping on the chest, either too tight of a fit or too loose, and we sometimes hear that buyers can mistake unisex for women’s fit or simply order a smaller size in a men’s fit. All of these design issues can impact how a woman feels in the workplace and their overall efficiency.
“Female workwear is regularly spoken about at industry events, which have led to improvements from some of our suppliers, but there is still a long way to go. Having spoken to women within male-dominated industries, such as construction and security, some aren’t even aware that female workwear options exist.
“To improve, workwear suppliers and industry leaders must work together and continue to speak to women within these sectors on how they can best be accommodated. From our perspective, we provide in-depth knowledge on women’s fit options when required, such as providing samples and advising where logos will sit on the garment, in addition to providing size guides.”, she concludes.
Gender Pay Gap.
Both the electrician and plumbing professions were found to have the biggest and most concerning gender pay gap at 43%. When compared to other professions, such as those within the medical profession, this was a drastic difference. Nurses, for example, see a gender pay gap of 4.3%.
Although construction workers, such as electricians and plumbers, are paid hourly or daily, rather than with an annual salary, other professions with similar pay structures -such as retail – tend to have a much narrower pay gap. For example, the study found the gender pay gap in retail and hospitality was significantly better at 4.3% and 3.6%.
Maternity Pay.
An analysis of maternity pay offerings reveals that women working as electricians or plumbers may fall short, as the study shows zero enhanced maternity pay. Whilst female workers are entitled to statutory maternity pay, many claim this is an ‘unlivable’ income, with a shocking 9% of women taking no maternity leave whatsoever due to how little they receive5. Just over half of the industries studied by MyWorkwear had some form of enhanced maternity pay in place, such as education and medical.
Menopause leave.
Menopause leave is a relatively new workplace adaptation for women that has been recognised by the government as of late. Despite being a recently recognised initiative, half of the industries studied showed to have at least some form of menopause policy and support in place. However, the electrician and plumbing professions failed to integrate the policy.
According to industry experts, these blockers for women in the electrical and plumbing industries must adapt and improve to attract and retain female talent, not only to be more inclusive, but to further close the skills shortage gap.
Only 14% of the construction industry’s workforce is female3, yet the skills gap could be closed through female recruitment, according to ONS. Their recent data showed that women of working age were more likely to have the skills from their current or most recent job to work in at least one other occupation outside of their current role (7.4% of women, compared with 5.9% of men in 2022)4. This implies that, in the labour market, women’s skills are being underutilised.
For more information on the gender workwear gap and how the industry can take action, click here
