According to ONS data 1, the number of women working in construction, including electricians, plumbers and joiners as well as bricklayers and carpenters has decreased in the last year.
It is not surprising that plumbing and electrical work are the industries with the lowest level of inclusion for women 2.
The study was conducted by a workwear brand that regularly collaborates and discusses the importance of women’s options in the workplace.
In order to determine the rankings, the study* takes into account not only the workwear that is suitable for women but also factors such as the gender wage gap, the enhanced maternity leave options, and the menopause leaves.
Flexible workwear.
There are very few options for women’s workwear in the majority of industries, with some exceptions such as beauty and cleaning.
Gayle Parker, commercial director at MyWorkwear, comments on the study.
We actively talk to our customers, prospects and clients across multiple industries in order to understand their concerns about female workwear. Often, the feedback we receive is similar.
Feedback includes feedback about buttons that gape on the chest or a too-tight or too-loose fit. We also hear from buyers who mistakenly order unisex clothing for women’s or order a smaller men’s size. These design issues can affect how women feel at work and their efficiency.
“Female Workwear is frequently discussed at industry events. This has led to improvements by some of our vendors, but there’s still a way to go.” Some women in male-dominated fields, like construction and security are unaware that there are female workwear options.
To improve, industry leaders and workwear suppliers must continue to work together to discuss with women in these sectors how they can be best accommodated. She concludes: “From our perspective, when needed, we offer in-depth information on women’s fitting options, including providing samples, advising where the logos will be placed on the garment and providing size guides.”
Gender Pay Gap.
The biggest and most worrying gender pay gap was found in the plumbing and electrician professions, both at 43%. This was a huge difference when compared with other professions such as those in the medical field. For nurses, the gender pay gap is 4.3%.
Construction workers such as plumbers and electricians are paid on an hourly basis or daily rather than a salary. However, in other professions that have similar pay structures, like retail, the pay gap is much smaller. The study showed that the gender pay gap was much smaller in the retail and hospitality industries, at 4,3% and 3,6% respectively.
Maternity Payment.
The study found that women who work as plumbers or electricians are likely to fall short of the maternity benefits they deserve, with zero additional maternity benefits. While female workers have the right to statutory maternity benefits, they claim that this income is ‘unlivable.’ A shocking 9% of them do not take maternity leave at all due to their 5. MyWorkwear found that just over half the industries it studied had enhanced maternity pay. These included education and medical.
Leave for menopause
The government has recently recognized menopause leave as a new adaptation to the workplace for women. Even though it is a relatively new initiative, the government has recognized that half of all industries have some sort of menopause support and policy in place. The electrician and plumbing professions, however, failed to incorporate the policy.
Experts in the industry say that these barriers to women’s advancement in the plumbing and electrical industries need to be addressed to not only attract more female talent but also to close the skills gap.
ONS data shows that women of working age are more likely to have the skills from their current or most recent job in order to work in at least one other occupation outside of their current role (7.4% compared with 5.9% for men)sup>4/sup>. Recent data revealed that women in working age are more likely than men to be able to use the skills they acquired in their most recent or current job in at least one additional occupation. (7.4% for women, compared to 5.9% for men in 2022). 4. It is clear that women’s abilities are not being fully utilised in the workplace.
For more information on the gender workwear gap and how the industry can take action, visit: https://www.myworkwear.co.uk/company/the-gender-workwear-gap/
The article Construction sector is the least inclusive for women due to lack of options in terms of workwear and pay.
