Construction – Not just jobs for the boys

A woman’s role was once considered to be simply a homemaker, but now she can be a home builder or any other role she chooses.

Today is International Women’s Day and it also happens to be Women in Construction Week (March 6 – 12). The theme for International Women’s Day is Break the Bias – something we have been making strides towards in the construction industry in recent years, but still have a long way to go.

According to Go Construct, women make up around 14% of construction industry professionals, with females making up 37% of new entrants coming from higher education.

Roles once considered traditionally male are increasingly more equally split between men and women at every level of the career ladder. Taylor Wimpey recently made the headlines for being the first housebuilder to appoint a female chief executive, becoming only the third company in the FTSE 100 to have a female CEO and a female chair.

At Castle Green Homes every department includes at least one woman, from design, commercial and land, to engineering and on-site.

The construction industry breaking the bias isn’t just about giving jobs to women, it’s ensuring they have the tools to do the job.  This includes providing appropriate PPE to fit women rather than them simply having to use those designed for men, but perhaps in a smaller size, for both their safety and comfort, and ensuring there are welfare facilities for both men and women.

Equal pay for equal work and flexible hours to accommodate family commitments are also key considerations when we’re working towards breaking the bias and increasing diversity.

At Castle Green, we directly employ more than 80 people and we’re proud that when we asked employees what it’s like to work here, the common theme was that they feel safe, supported and part of the team. Some of them said it’s extremely fulfilling to see more women working across the business and that this is encouraging others into the industry.

We’re committed to bringing in young and enthusiastic people, including those without the formal qualifications expected.

If you want to build a career with Castle Green, follow our LinkedIn page where we’ll post our latest vacancies: https://www.linkedin.com/company/castle-green-homesuk.