Women in Construction
21 June 2024
Women in construction are underrepresented and most frequently found on construction sites in the fields of administrative and technical positions, such as architecture and civil engineering.
According to the CSO, women make up only 5.5% of the workforce in all construction-related sectors in Ireland (compared to 10% EU average).
According to the Construction Industry Federation’s Member Diversity Survey, “without female talent, the industry’s efforts to deliver critical Government housing and infrastructure strategies such as Rebuilding Ireland, the National Development Plan, and the National Planning Framework may fall short.” We must all do more to actively support women in the industry and encourage young women to pursue careers in construction.
Benefits of Gender Diversity in the Irish Construction Industry
Despite the low numbers of women in construction, there is evidence to suggest that women participation can bring many benefits to the construction industry. In addition, research has shown that gender diversity leads to improved decision-making, increased creativity, and enhanced innovation.
As a matter of fact, companies with greater gender balance are also more likely to outperform those that lack diversity. In other words, making the case for increased female representation in construction becomes more compelling.
Despite the fact that the construction sector is traditionally known as a male-dominated industry, the low number of women working in construction can be attributed to a number of factors, including:
- a lack of awareness of the opportunities available in the sector,
- a lack of female role models and mentors,
- a perceived lack of flexibility in the industry.
However, there are many initiatives underway to address these barriers and promote the participation of women in construction.
Promoting Women in Construction
Some of the projects that promote women in construction by enabling information and education is FEMCON project. FEMCON’s mission is to create innovative vocational education and training tools to help women working in or considering a career in the construction industry advance to visible roles within the industry. The project’s goal is to make the industry more appealing to women, resulting in a greater number of women choosing the sector, creating conditions for positive change, and improving the industry’s gender outlook and quality of life in the male-dominated sector.
Diversity is having a culture that values uniqueness: people of different backgrounds, cultures, genders, and races. Inclusion means inviting diverse groups to take part in company life. But there’s a third critical piece: belonging. It’s belonging that makes each individual feel accepted for who they are. Explore the diversity, inclusion, and belonging (DIB) approach in this eLearn Safety fully online course Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging. In this eLearning course we will explore the need for diversity, inclusion and belonging in the workplace, how to build a diverse workplace, your role in this, how to check your unconscious bias and also how to take on an ally role.
Online Health and Safety Training
Proactive Health and Safety training is critical to ensure a safe workplace. An effective training program can reduce the number of worker injuries and deaths. It can also reduce instances of property damage, legal liability, illnesses, and missed time from work.
Health and Safety training helps establish a culture in which employees themselves help promote proper safety procedures while on the job. It is important that new employees be properly trained and embrace the importance of workplace safety. The role of training in developing and maintaining effective hazard control activities is a proven and successful method of intervention.
This is why we have established Myelearnsafety school. We pride ourselves in how we guide, support and mentor our students. They receive support throughout their learning experience and into their working lives. Our staff have extensive training experience and also have many years industry experience. We understand the challenges that exist within Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety. Our priority is to ensure that all learners are fully prepared to differentiate themselves in the workplace after completing our Health and Safety courses.
Myelearnsafety offers fully online Health and Safety courses.
To find out more, please check our Courses page.
Alternatively, should you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to let us know via email info@elearn.ie