In an industry that remains largely male-dominated, it is hugely important for more businesses to embrace the power and value of women as a part of their workforce. As we have seen at Natta, there is an extensive number of positive factors for women in this industry including a broader variety of skills, perspectives and ideas.

Despite the barriers affecting women in construction, they continue to build their path in the industry and are expected to make up a staggering 46.8% of the workforce by 2022. Studies have also shown that nearly 1 in 3 companies promoted women to more senior roles in 2018.

We can see that many companies and associations are beginning to increase their efforts to promote women in their organisations and educate young women about the benefits of working in the industry. With the growing number of resources available such as female-focused groups, construction courses and conferences, more and more groundbreaking women are chipping away at gender norms. This is pushing the industry to take bigger steps in becoming a more diverse and inclusive space for future generations.

Women at Natta

We are continually working to encourage women to begin a career in construction. We recently attended a sixth form careers fair to showcase the many career paths that are open to both male and female students. Construction is a broad and diverse field for women to discover with a great number of opportunities available.

In the 1980s, Natta employed one of the first female machine drivers in the UK. Lil Buckle is still working for the Natta Group and now runs our Plant Hire Department. Since then, we have recruited several female Engineers, Estimators, Quantity Surveyors, Document Controllers and Machine Drivers, as well as, the many women we have working at our Head Office. The number of women employed at Natta is on the rise each year and we are committed to continuing this. In 2018 they made up 15% of our workforce which has now risen to 22% in 2020.

Jo Whelan, Marketing, Communications & IT Manager commented, “I am proud to work for a diverse and inclusive company. As a mum of two girls, I feel passionately that all females should be able to pursue any career in any industry. That my daughters or my son will not be limited by gender stereotypes or bias. To be successful in any business you need to be progressive and inclusive. Inclusion is key for all.”

About International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day occurs every year as an opportunity to celebrate women’s achievement, raise awareness and take action for equality. Their 2020 campaign theme is #EachforEqual recognising that an equal world is an enabled world. International Women’s Day believes that individually, we are all responsible for our own thoughts and actions. We can actively choose to broaden perceptions and improve situations. Collectively, each one of us can help create a gender-equal world.