Historically, construction sites have been strongholds exclusively for men. Even in today’s modern world, only 2 % of people working on them are women. However, since women are showing a growing interest in this kind of work, an EU-funded project offers women-only training for those want to pursue a career in this sector.
Building a future for women on construction sites in France
- 24 August 2017
The construction sector should not close the doors of its construction sites to women, who represent 50 % of the population. Companies that have overcome prejudice and stereotypes by hiring them are convinced that WOMEN have a place in this field of activity.
Enter any construction site around the world and it will not be long before you notice that nearly all the workers are male. Any woman working on a building site tends to be the exception rather than the rule. Efforts have been made by construction federations and institutions to promote gender diversity, but with little success.
The Women and Construction project wants to change all that by providing a women-only training course to give them the skills they need to success in this environment. The project hopes to promote a change in the mentality of the construction industry, where common prejudices mean that women are often less likely than men to be hired for manual and technical labour roles. Generally speaking, women do not look to construction as a potential place of employment, which is why the project wants to open up the sector and make it more inviting to female workers.
A career with options
The onset of the economic crisis has left more and more women in this region of France unemployed. Demand for retraining in areas such as construction, which maintained its employment potential and opportunities throughout the crisis, continued to grow. Women were interested in entering a training scheme which would leave them with plenty of work options for the future.
Participants were taken to a training site, such as a building for renovation. There they could practice a range of skills – rendering, painting, floor laying, tiling – in a safe environment. The concept was that, since the work needs practical skills, theory classes are not needed since the trainees can discover everything they need to know on-site. Under the watchful eye of a member of a French trade guild, eight participants learned and practised their new craft, mastering professional skills without the stress of client demands.
Laying the foundations
After five months on the site, the women spent one month on a work placement in a company. This placement sometimes led to employment within the company, but if not, the trainee gained solid work experience and knowledge of what is expected in the workforce. This helped to boost their confidence enabling them to perform better in job interviews.
Women with a good educational background up to degree level were encouraged to use their new-found skills to set up their own construction businesses. It is well known that in companies where the bosses are women, the gender pay gap is smaller or non-existent and more women are hired. This contributes to the project’s other aim to increase gender diversity across the construction sector.
In 2016, 62.5 % of the trainees were employed in construction. The EU-funded project won the Raja Foundation’s ‘Women’s Trophy Award’ and was a recipient of the ‘Diversity and Equality Foundation’ prize. The project has been running for 22 years and engages with a wide range of funders, including the EU which contributes 45 % of the total project costs.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Women and Construction” is EUR 111 172, with the EU’s European Social Fund contributing EUR 51 029 through the “ERDF-ESF Île-de-France et Seine 2014-2020” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period.