The latest official statistics show that only 15.8% of all construction workers in the UK are women. At L&Q, we’re doing slightly better at 18.3%, but there’s still more work to be done.
I am one of those 18.3%, as the site manager at Greenwich Peninsula.
My site consists of two plots and will soon deliver 476 new homes, 70% affordable, across seven buildings of up to 30 storeys, aiming to be completed in 2027.
So quite a bit of work, but a few years ago, I didn’t even know that was possible for me and my career.
Not a straightforward career path
I’ve been working at L&Q for five years and I'm very passionate about my job, but I wasn’t always meant to work in construction.
Growing up, the only person in my family who was somewhat connected to construction was my dad, who worked as a lorry driver.
But going into school, that was never an option that was presented to me.
Later in life, I did a Property, Investment and Planning degree, but I didn’t know what I wanted to do after finishing.
Then I got a work experience placement through L&Q, which was my first involvement with construction.
I then applied for a graduate position, still with L&Q, I was successful in that role, and the rest is history.
So it’s not something I always knew I wanted to do, instead it’s something I stumbled into – fortunately.
The ideal job
I started with my work experience at L&Q and felt they were quite welcoming.
I naturally fitted in, compared to the other jobs I was going for in university, which were more corporate and strict.
Instead, on site I felt I could be myself.
I don’t like sitting at my desk – I’m quite a practical and technical person – so I like to be out and about on site, seeing it all happen.
My job involves many things and I am a big multitasker.
Every day is different. I have to deal with a lot of customers, a lot of problem-solving, and a lot of interaction with different people across several teams.
It’s also very fast-paced and I love the rush of it all.
It is also such a rewarding job, especially when I hand over a product (homes) that I’ve been working on for the better part of three years and see residents who need that home move in – that makes all the work worth it.
Particularly on this site, at Peninsula, 70% of the homes we are building will be affordable.
So my job and my work are helping young people and families in need of a home to have a place to call their own.
Challenges
I’m very fortunate in my working environment and team because they’re very inclusive.
I’ve never been singled out for being a ‘woman in construction’; I’m just another team member.
However, that does change when I go into a meeting room with partners and customers.
I’m surrounded by 20 men and I’m the only woman – that’s when it’s very hard to get your voice across.
There is sometimes the misapprehension that the person who speaks the loudest is also right.
For me, as a woman in that situation, it's about earning respect outside the meeting room and demonstrating that I’ve done my job and I’ve earned my seat at the table.
So I come prepared with facts and speak when my specific points need to be heard and I think the others understand and respect that.
Looking forward
I see myself slowly going up the chain, getting better and better and learning more.
There are so many opportunities at L&Q.
But things could have been very different had there not been that initial job opportunity with L&Q.
At school, our teachers never spoke about construction as a career option – especially not for girls.
They talked about going to university and getting ‘a proper job’ as they called it.
So I started with architecture in mind and slowly worked my way to construction.
I think there’s a lot more that could be done at that level in school to encourage more people – more girls especially – into construction.
The first step is very simple and it is just talking about it, sharing more information and making sure it reaches everyone: boys and girls.
At school, I was not told about construction or working on site as a viable career path.
You’re not told about apprenticeships, work experience, what opportunities to look after or even what the job involves.
So you naturally assume it’s just a bunch of men working on a site – which, in my experience, was not the case.
That one week of work experience at L&Q completely changed my career aspirations after university, despite spending five years studying and preparing for something else.
Then if more information is out there, one woman can hopefully become 10 and then 20. This has to be the way forward.