Category: Uncategorized

As we celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD), NICEIC, the UK’s leading name for registered electricians, is encouraging more women to consider a career within the electrical industry.

The theme for IWD 2023 is #EmbraceEquity and aims to get the world talking about how equal opportunities are no longer enough if we are to provide everyone, no matter their circumstances, with the opportunities to reach an equal outcome.

With only 16.3% female engineers in the industry, we caught up with two NICEIC area assessors and discussed the challenges they have faced to gain a better understanding of what it’s like to be a woman in this sector.

Joining the industry after a career change, Lisa comments on her journey so far: “I was on the lookout for a career that challenged me and upped my skillset. My friend told me that he was training to become an electrician. After some self-doubt, thinking women do not tend to go for that sort of career, I was encouraged to go for it. It ended up being the best advice I ever followed.

“Now here I am, years later, with a Student of the Year Award tucked under my belt, alongside a whole host of inspection and installation experience that led me to my role now assessing other contractors.”

Louise, however, always had her eye on becoming an electrician after completing work experience that led to a four-year electrical apprenticeship with a NICEIC approved contractor.

Louise explained: “I’ve always enjoyed the technical aspect of the job as I see myself as a hands-on type of person. I was never really suited to sitting in an office all day. In this role, no two days are the same as I take on a wide variety of work which has given me a wealth of experience in the industry.

When asked about the barriers to women entering the industry, Lisa adds: “I do think women are nervous to enter such a male-dominated environment. Sometimes as women, we feel as though we aren’t physically built for this type of work; but there are always ways to work around this, such as having the correct tools or working as a team when it comes to heavier work.”

Louise continues: “The industry can seem intimidatingbut times are changing; and I only saw that as more motivation to rise through the ranks. Before I knew it, I was in an electrical management role.”

NICEIC is committed to encouraging more women to join the electrical sector and challenging the perception that the industry is traditionally for men. Although there has been a recent rise in women realising the benefits of a hands-on career, such as an engineer, there is always more room to break down gender barriers.

Lisa says: “NIECIC is all about creating a working culture that encourages inclusivity and celebrates people’s individuality whilst treating everyone in the same, fair manner.”

Louise adds: “Throughout my career, I have always regarded NICEIC as the leading electrical body that promotes electrical safety and uphold standards. I have been with NICEIC for seven years and I couldn’t imagine myself anywhere else.

“As an employer, the company is very supportive and encourages individual ambitions and always looks to drive standards. Attitudes have changed considerably across the sector since I began my apprenticeship. These days, all that matters is your ability to do the job – as it should be.”

International Women’s Day allows businesses to welcome and celebrate the achievements of women, especially in what is still seen as a male-oriented trade world. The electrical industry is calling to be more inclusive and appealing to women so that the younger generation of females can see it as a viable, exciting career option from the very beginning. 

With renewable energy sources on the rise, electrical contractors are at the forefront of helping the UK to achieve net zero by 2050. The sector is crying out for highly motivated electricians; and with the introduction of so many new technologies, it’s an exciting time to get involved.

For more information, visit www.niceic.com.

The history of International Women’s Day is a story of women who would not settle for the status quo (writes TUC’s ESTHER LYNCH). It’s a story of women workers protesting against unfair working conditions. Of women who demanded a voice when they had something to say. Of women who came together and collectively demanded civil, social and political rights.

It’s not a story from the past – it is a story that transcends time. Still today, there are countless things that women will not settle for.  

Across Europe, women have suffered disproportionately from economic and social consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Just as women were overrepresented on the frontline of the Covid crisis, women are now being hit hardest by the cost-of-living crisis because of the ongoing undervaluation of their work, part-time work due to unequal distribution of caring responsibilities, the gender pay gap and in consequence, the gender pension gap.

According to EUROFOUND research from last November, almost half of single mothers (44%) and 31% of single women anticipated difficulties affording energy costs over the next three months. That compares to 26% of single men.

The struggle for equal pay and equal pay for work of equal value remains a high priority for the trade union movement. Women workers must enjoy the pay, conditions, and status they deserve. The legacy of Covid-19  must be the enforcement of equal pay for work of equal, of a collectively achieved re-evaluation of work predominantly done by women, of a collective correction of the term “low-skilled” workers.

In terms of tackling the undervaluation of women’s paid and unpaid work, as a baseline, more support for trade unions is needed. At EU level, a step in the right direction was recently made very with the Pay Transparency Directive.

It is thanks to the demands voiced by women workers across Europe that the Directive will contribute to coming closer to enforcing equal pay for work of equal value and to make sure that no women worker has to stand up alone against an employer when claiming her right to transparent information on her pay.

The Directive also secured a safeguard of trade unions’ prerogatives to bargain on measures for equal pay – a provision that was met with unfounded, yet fierce resistance.

Another building block to achieve gender equality in society and the world of work is the eradication of gender-based violence.  Again, trade unions have proven all along that workplaces are safer when workers are represented by trade unions and employers negotiate with trade unions.

This applies to support for victims and survivors of sexual harassment, domestic violence or third-party violence. The trade union movement has also a role to play in the digital sphere – an arena that is conducive to escalating existing forms of gender-based violence, while producing new forms of cyber violence and cyber harassment that target women in particular and marginalised groups.

As online screening and networking become more important in the labour market, a growing number of women are having their careers wrecked due to cyber violence like revenge sharing  of intimate pictures. The trade union movement must be at the forefront to make sure victims of cyber violence and cyber harassment are not discriminated against by an employer.

Employers must live up to their responsibilities when it comes to making the world of work safe for all women workers.

This is why on International Women’s Day, the ETUC will gather, in the tradition that marks International Women’s Day, to demand our voice be heard and to highlight women workers’ right to travel safely to and from work.

This will be our contribution to the stories that are International Women’s Day – stories that share one imperative: Women coming together and demanding change – for the many, in all their diversity, not for the few. 

For International Women’s Day (March 8th), we’ve surveyed a range of tradeswomen to find out what life is really like as a female in the trades industry: 

What is it really like working as a tradeswoman in the UK?

This is one of the many questions that we got the answers to in our survey of female trades workers to help us better understand exactly what tradeswomen experience on a daily basis.

To help us gain some insight, we put together a survey of 20 tradeswomen aged between 16 and 60 who shared the revealing truths about working in the trade industry.

Gender Pay Gap

On average, tradeswomen earn over 38% less than men.

Despite the progression over the years for women in the workplace, there is still a 7,9% overall pay gap between men and women working in the UK. This gap is even more significant in the trades industry, with 42% of our surveyed tradeswomen stating that there is a significant difference between the pay for men and women.

Many of the participants were unsure of the pay gap, since salary discussions between colleagues is seen as a taboo subject. Three of the women surveyed are plumbers and heating engineers with salaries starting at £22,000. This is over £13,000 less than the average tradesman salary of £35,979.

Out of these three women, there was one outlier who earns £35,000 per year after working in the trades industry for over 11 years. This showcases a slight growth of equality in the trades sector.

Discrimination In The Workplace

Over 57% of tradeswomen experienced workplace discrimination.

Unfortunately, it’s still not uncommon for women to experience discrimination in the workplace when it comes to working in the trades industry. Often times, women feel like they are looked down on and won’t be given equal job roles as the male employees.

“Upon searching to work for other landscaping companies I was looked down on, was told that I would have to bear in mind that I would be using the same toilet as the men and that I would start on a lower wage as I wouldn’t be doing the main parts of the job, I would just be helping and making drinks!” – Angela, 22, Landscaper

When it comes to working in a male-dominated industry, many females feel objectified or sexualised in the workplace. Alternatively, they may be insulted for choosing to take on a role that has always been completed predominantly by men.

“If you work on a site as a woman, they see you as either too blokey/ fat/ other to be the object of their sexual interest, so get harassed for something else instead; or you’re young, fit and hot and suddenly you’re just the focus of their testosterone. That kind of behaviour would be incredibly intimidating for a lot of people, even if it is all banter and them being “guys”, it’s not a welcoming feeling.” – Debbie, 36, Conservation Specialist

Sexist Customers

More than 68.4% of tradeswomen were subjected to sexist remarks from customers and clients.

Since trades jobs have always been completed by mostly men, some customers feel like they can’t trust women to complete the work well, despite having the same training and qualifications as the men doing the same work.

“Customers have asked me to leave as I’m female. Some have called back in to have my work ‘checked’ and others have made sexual comments against me.” – Rachael, 38, Gas Engineer

Some women can feel ignored on the job, as customers will direct their questions towards the male employees.

“I work alongside my husband, both doing the same job and it’s not unusual for customers to direct questions at my husband rather than me. Many don’t believe that I am just as qualified as my husband.” – Jackie, 38, Vehicle Body Repairer

Why Are There Fewer Women in the Trades Industry?

Only around 13% of the trades industry workers are women.

Here’s what our surveyed tradeswomen had to say:

Limited Education

Some women feel like there hasn’t been much progression in the way jobs are advertised. Despite more trades employers actively reaching out the women for their open jobs, some jobs are still primarily targeted towards men.

The same goes when it comes to learning about jobs in school. However, schools are now more openly encouraging people to take on any job role, regardless of the previous stereotypes. There has been a huge change in the way children are being taught about work.

“Schools, historically have promoted the learning of manual trades to boys, girls tend to have been pushed into gender stereotyped roles such as cooking and textiles.” – Abigail, 32, Bench Joiner

Physical Ability

Women are often just as capable as men at completing heavy labour work. However, many people still don’t see this and believe that labour intensive work should be left to the men.

“Women have always been looked at as “the weaker sex” and being on a site or turning up to a job a man “should” be doing is difficult when you’re judged with comments like, surely you should be on reception etc.” – Sophie, 30, Drainage Engineer

Unsuitable Equipment

Since the trades industry has always been dominated by men, the equipment is often tailored to suit men. However, with the increase in female tradespeople, we are seeing more and more manufacturers creating a whole new range of equipment to help women in trades. However, there is still an issue with this as it is often much more difficult to source equipment that is tailored to women in this field.

“More equipment/tools suitable for women would make life easier, I’m 5ft 1 and can never find protective boots etc, would prefer it if plaster came in 20kg bags instead of 25kg!! Things like that make trades discouraging.”  – Karoline, 38, Plasterer

Lack of Support

Many women feel like employers should be more open to supporting them in their job roles. This would help to make women feel less discriminated against for their gender but will also result in a much more harmonious workplace.

“I’ve had three women start with me. None of them drive, but they all need to be back for 3pm to get their kids from school and can’t start until 8.45. I think generally the way that the construction industry is arranged means that it’s almost impossible for anyone who isn’t an unencumbered, able bodied male to be in the right set of circumstances to get a chance.” – Debbie, 36, Conservation Specialist

How Can More Women Be Encouraged to Take Up a Trade?

There has been an increase over recent years in trades employers encouraging women to join their teams.

Here’s what our surveyed tradeswomen thought about this question:

Financial Support

Many women believe that there should be more support when it comes to maternity and childcare. If employers offered more support in these areas, more women may be likely to want to take up work in the trades industry.

“Better pay for maternity and childcare.” – Karoline, 38, Plasterer

Better Education

Some of the women surveyed thought that education may play a part in encouraging more women to take up work in the trades industry.

“Offer more courses in colleges and maybe free courses for older women.” – Jennifer, 43, Builder

More Representation

Representation is something that has progressed significantly over the years to help make the trades industry more appealing the women. By showing more women in advertisements, trades employers are promoting a much more diverse workplace. Previously, most advertisements and promotions for trades work showed just men. However, women are being included much more than they were before. There is still a way to go, though, to make it more equal. 

“Advertising , photos of women in construction in advertising and books. Women in construction should also speak in schools about their career.” – Renee, 49, Building Surveyor

Lack of Support

Women often feel like there is a lack of support in this industry for women. To encourage a more diverse workplace, it’s important for employers to offer support to everyone.

“I think generally the way that the construction industry is arranged means that it’s almost impossible for anyone who isn’t an unencumbered, able bodied male to be in the right set of circumstances to get a chance.” – Debbie, 36, Conservation Specialist

The Modern Progression of Female Tradespeople

According to new research by the Chartered Institute of Building, 3 in 5 UK residents would hire a female tradesperson. Around one third of the people surveyed said they would prefer to hire a female tradesperson.

Helping to support the women in trades was the most popular reason for wanting to hire a female tradesperson. Some of those surveyed said that they would feel more at ease by having a woman carry out the work in their home.

This is very encouraging to hear and one of the many reasons why females should consider taking up work in the trades industry. This is also something that trades employers should be more aware of. Since many people would prefer a female tradesperson, employers should be making extra efforts to reach out to females when conducting their new employee searches.

In order to attract more women in the trades industry, it’s important to fight discrimination on the worksite and avoid previous stereotypes that can often divide job roles according to genders. Fortunately, this is something that most employers in the trades industry are actively doing.

The progression can be seen in the number of female tradespeople in the UK. In the past 5 years, there has been an increase of almost 400% in the number of young females taking on apprenticeships in engineering and construction.