‘You haven’t earned your right to be here’: Women in construction need on-site experience

Nicky Wells was sexually assaulted as she approved crucial paperwork for a section of the £17bn London Crossrail project. She was one the most senior managers at the site, but she was afraid about the consequences of reporting the man who had groped or cornered her. The event took place at the most prestigious location she had ever worked.

“I struggled with it for weeks because I’ve worked so hard to be taken seriously in the industry,” she says. “Although the individual that did this to me wasn’t necessarily high up . . . He was highly connected and respected within the community. [the subcontractor]. The fear of being the one whose name and reputation was being marked and dirtied was what prevented me from reporting it immediately.”

The assault was witnessed by a male colleague, who reported it to the authorities. Although their employer, the site’s lead contractor, took the complaint seriously, action against the offender did not progress. The offender did not give an answer to the company running the site. The subcontractor’s leadership were made aware of the incident but no effective action was taken.

The incident that occurred a few years back and the subsequent investigation were a stark reminder that, while lead contractors insist on a workplace environment or behavioural rules, they are still subject to a fragmented supply system that accounts for most workers at a site. “I refer to it as the gentleman’s club mentality because it’s ‘all for the boys’,” says Ms Wells. “It [was] because of that male, old school mentality that they think they can do it.”

After the complaints process was unsuccessful, she was approached and asked to leave by a rival. She now leads the quality team, a tough management job, at O’Keefe Group, a company she chose in part for its attitude towards women and diversity.

McKinsey Consulting says construction sites worldwide are still dominated by men. While the industry has a global female participation of just 12 percent, the number of women employed in site-focused roles is significantly lower with only 2 percent of machine operative and tradesperson positions being held by women.

Women are more common in administrative and office jobs than men, which accounts for 80 percent of total employment.

“In all the companies I have worked in, women are seen as predominantly having ‘female-type’ roles,” says Ms Wells. This is an important factor in an industry that values engineering expertise and on-site accomplishments. In the past this has put her at a disadvantage in senior-level discussions: “It was a case of ‘hang on a minute, you haven’t earned your right to be here, lady, you don’t know nothing about engineering’.”

Despite the fact that the UK has a similar number of women in leadership positions (12%), the number of female chief executives and chief financial officers is very low.

Construction companies recognize the need for more inclusive environments and a diverse workforce. This is due to a global skills shortage that is crippling the sector.

The UK is in a particularly poor state due to its ageing workforce, almost half of which are over 45, and the support provided by migrant labor. In a bid to combat this many of the big companies, including Willmott Dixon, Wates and Lendlease, have set ambitious targ­ets for achieving a better gender balance in their staff intake and senior positions.

Holly Price, training director and development director at Keltbray British demolition specialist, believes that targets are meaningless without cultural change. “We’re very good at identifying the problem and responding immediately because we’re engineers naturally, we’re people that fix [and] build things,” she says.

“It’s like ‘we can fix this, we’ll do an initiative now and then that will be it done’, but . . . if we’re going to create a more inclusive environment and [have a] more diverse [workforce] these things have to bec­ome the norm, and not something that we do to tick a box to win a project.”

Ms. Price was 16 years old when she saw an explosive-powered demolition and knew that this was what she wanted to do. “I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a set of tower blocks being blown down,” she says, “but it’s kind of cool”.

She has been working her way up in demolition since then, a specialty that is characterized by a strong macho culture. Now the first female president of the UK’s National Federation of Demolition Contractors, she too has experienced the challenges that come with holding a site-based position.

I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a set of tower blocks being blown down — but it’s kind of cool

Operatives often travel across the country, and spend extended periods away with their families, as they move from one job to the next. Workers are often under great pressure to finish their jobs by working long hours, especially when deadlines are near, especially for the most prestigious programs.

It can feel intense to be the only woman or one in a small group of women in such an environment. “I would finish the day with the brave face and go off in some Travelodge somewhere . . . and feel pretty down,” says Ms Price.

Ms. Price and Ms. Wells still love the industry, despite the challenges. They even call for more women in the industry. This would not only create a diverse environment but also improve the business operations of companies in this sector. This is “not because we’re better at the job”, says Ms Wells. “Women think differently to men.”

She says that women are more able to use empathy than men. This helps in smooth operation of a site.