Women in construction – where are they?

Women hold a variety of roles within the construction industry but it may surprise you to know that this still only equates to around 13 per cent and, most worryingly, this figure hasn’t changed much over the last two decades. This is according to the Government’s Women Build Back Better campaign, which puts the need to create a more diverse work force at the heart of the construction industry’s future progression. 

As a major distributor of building materials, there are many different roles to fulfil at CCF and we are proud to have more progressive statistics, with women accounting for 18.8 per cent of our workforce. We appreciate there is still work to be done and that, in part, was the motivation to host an event like this. One of the main organisers was Sacha Khalil, who has recently been promoted to the role of Regional Sales Account Manager (Scotland). As Sacha is currently our only female Regional Account Manager in the North Region, she was keen to raise the profile of other women like her that were working in what may be perceived as traditionally ‘male roles’. By extending the invitation to women working in a variety of construction roles, from Administrators and Buyers, to Quantity Surveyors and Managing Directors, Sacha wanted to create a safe space where women could meet and share their own experiences and career journeys. By teaming up with a leading product supplier such as ROCKWOOL, the event represented a powerful group of women who are making a real difference and inspiring change in others.  

Together under 1 roof 

That was the theme of our recent ‘Women In Construction’ networking event that we organised with our supply chain partner ROCKWOOL, with the event itself inspired by the desire to take a deeper dive on the different roles that women occupy and gain a better understanding of why construction is still very much a male-dominated industry.

The event allowed women with a mixture of professional and personal backgrounds from CCF, ROCKWOOL and our wider customer base, to get together for an informal and enjoyable afternoon at the Alea Casino on Glasgow Quay.

As well as having the opportunity to make new connections and catch up with existing acquaintances, the attendees were also invited to listen to guest speaker Lisa Charlwood Green, Founder, and Director of the @WOW (Women at Work) Network. Lisa was able to offer a broader perspective from her own personal experiences as a woman in business, discussing key issues such as gender bias and discrimination, the wheel of power and privilege and navigating imposter syndrome. This resonated with many of the attendees and we are thrilled that the event was such a positive and rewarding experience. 

Women in construction – what’s next?

Reflecting on the challenges and personal viewpoints of women working in construction was an important focus of the event but we were also keen to celebrate the success of our colleagues and customers, and look to the future. Here, encouraging more women into the industry to both boost diversity and plug the growing skills gap is key.

This was a sentiment echoed by our supplier partner ROCKWOOL, whose Area Sales Manager Rebecca Gallagher was one of the company’s representatives in attendance. Like CCF, ROCKWOOL is committed to supporting women within their own organisation and is a platinum partner with the Women Into Construction organisation.  

Marie Burke, CCF’s Branch Manager (Glasgow & East Kilbride) also came away from the event feeling positive and hopeful, and was delighted to receive some great feedback from attendees who felt just the same. In her role, Marie works with a more balanced ratio of men and women but is also keenly aware that increasing gender equality, diversity and inclusion is still vitally important to the future success of the construction industry and with that in mind, is keen to organise a similar event in the future.

CCF – making a difference

At CCF we’re proud that women hold a number of diverse roles within our business, from the most senior roles to apprenticeships, and within office, warehouse, and transport settings. Creating and maintaining an inclusive and welcoming culture for all, regardless of gender, age, or ethnicity, is an important part of our ethos and an objective that we are committed to upholding. Events like this help us to raise awareness but the real change needs to happen on building sites, offices and factories across the UK as only then can we hope to see women representing far more than just 13 per cent of the construction industry.

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