21% of British women consider a career in the trade

Research shows that more women than ever before are considering a job in the trade.

Happy International Women's Day!

While many people will be struggling to look for positives over the past year, it seems there is a big trend that needs shouting about. This International Women's Day we are delighted to reveal the findings from some recent research we have conducted. 

During the past 12 months 21% of women in the UK have considered a career in the trade. In a turn of events, the pandemic has highlighted that the trades is a haven for employment, and perhaps has been an unexpected catalyst to help move the industry closer to gender parity.

While it isn’t often that you associate International Women’s Day with construction hopefully people will start to recognise the careers in this industry are indeed available to women.

Infographic

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Women in trade 2021, in numbers

We have twinned our findings with some research from the Insurance company statistics  Direct Line’s, which last year found that there were more than twice as many women working in trade professions in the UK than ten years ago.

For the women polled in our research, careers in the following areas were most popular:

1. Handyperson
2. Bathroom and kitchen fitting
3. Roofing
4. Decorations and painting
5. Extension providers

Of course, as more women pursue careers in the trades, it will help to dismantle the trope the manual labour is just for men.

Women in trade, customers at a record high!

Our research has further revealed that 15% of women currently within the trades have seen their client demand reach to a record high during the pandemic.

With home improvements going through a period of rapid growth – market research provider Kantar has indicated that £4.94bn was spent on home improvements last year, £552m more than the previous 12 months – it could be an opportune moment for women to pursue careers in the trades.

We have found that existing businesses in the trades run by women can often be the most innovative, with female-only trade SMEs providing a service for those who are uneasy who they allow in their homes. Therefore, we would like to use this celebratory day to recognise the innovation that women bring to our sector, and hope that 2021 is a year in which we see these trends continue to flourish!