In honour of International Women’s Day on Tuesday 8th March, housing association Bromford’s sales Senior Leadership Team is encouraging women to consider careers in the construction industry.
Last year, Statista reported that only 13% of the UK construction industry was made up of women(1). Bromford, who are providing a range of both Shared Ownership* and outright sale homes for local people in the West Midlands, are keen to change the stereotypes and bring more women into housebuilding.
Penny Edmonds (pictured above on the left), aged 54, works as Transformation Lead at Bromford, and has been in the industry since 2000. At the beginning of the year, she joined the Women and Enterprise All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG).
Penny, from North Warwickshire, said: “There is a negative gender assumption that women don’t have the desire to learn STEM subjects, and study the technical subjects to go on to develop their careers in this sector.
“Within the construction industry, there are many brick walls for women to overcome. It is important to find the balance that diversity brings, to create environments that encourage everyone to engage, innovate and collaborate.
“Role models are the key to encouraging more women into the industry, and my advice to women considering a career in construction would be to find your voice!”
Tyler Croxall (pictured above on the right), aged 23, is an Existing Homes Sales Co-ordinator at Bromford, and is currently studying with the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Academy, with the aim of becoming a Qualified Practitioner of Housing. Tyler is also a member of the CIH West Midlands regional group, where she is able to engage and share ideas with other professionals in the region.
Tyler, who lives in Stafford, said: “In school, this industry was always discussed with boys and not girls at careers week. However, at Bromford, we have some incredible women doing this work. It’s nice to see the narrative change, and having a female Director of Development and Construction is really inspiring.
“Women bring new skill sets and perspectives, as well as widen the pool of skilled candidates, showing that construction isn’t just a passion for men. To women who are looking to join the industry, I would tell them to not be afraid to change the narrative. Different perspective will change the way the industry runs in a positive way, whilst also encouraging women and young girls that they can come into this field of work knowing that they will be treated equally.”
Catherine Jarrett, Director of Sales and Marketing at Bromford, said: “I’ve been in the construction industry for over 20 years, and have always been very passionate about encouraging more women to join the sector.
“Housebuilding is seen as being very male-dominated, leading to women often not realising that a career in construction is available to them. At Bromford, we pride ourselves on our diversity and inclusivity, and have a whole host of roles on offer. We hope that one day women in construction will be the norm.”
International Women’s Day is global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, and is dedicated to promoting equality. This year, the theme is #BreakTheBias.
*Shared Ownership gives those who do not currently own a property the chance to secure a new build home with Bromford. Homebuyers pay a mortgage on the share they own and pay rent on the remaining share, meaning a smaller deposit is required.
To find out more about Bromford and the homes it has available, visit https://findahome.bromford.co.uk/.
(1) https://www.statista.com/statistics/1023964/employment-in-the-uk-construction-industry-by-gender/
