87% Of Tradespeople Want More Female Workers

Almost nine out of ten tradespeople want more female workers to join the industry, as it is still a male-dominated sector. 

Although it is the 21^st Century and there should not be any gender discrimination when it comes to getting a job you enjoy, there seems to still be a gender bias when it comes to people working in trades, a survey by Rated People revealed. 

It found that while 65 per cent of boys aged 16 to 18 years old had trades suggested to them as a career choice, this was only the case for 42 per cent of females, reported HR News. 

Chief executive officer of Rated People Adrienne Minster stated: “With demand higher than ever, it’s critical that more is done to encourage young people into the industry.”

She added: “More needs to be done to ensure young people see this as a welcoming environment where they can flourish.”

One of the ways to do this is encourage more people to use the term ‘tradespeople’, instead of ‘tradesmen’. 

While 80 per cent of Brits still use ‘tradesmen’ to refer to everyone who works in the industry, 42 per cent of young people said they would be more inclined to consider a career in the sector if ‘tradespeople’ was used instead. 

Electrician Amy Nicholls told The Sun she prefers being referred to for her trade, not her gender, saying: “It upsets me that it’s the blanket term when, on social media, I’m part of a group of over 800 female electricians.”

Take a look at gender-neutral JCB overalls in the UK here.