Not just jobs for the boys – International Women’s Day
Tuesday, 08th March 2022
A woman’s role was once considered to be simply a home maker, 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 into the coming from higher education are women.
What were once considered traditionally male roles 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.
For 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 the people working here about 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.
Sign up for Willow
Did you know that we're Net Zero?
We've saved 723 tonnes of carbon via verified carbon offset projects and we have also purchased 300 tonnes of the Gola Rainforest Protection REDD+ project for future homes.