The construction industry is one of the largest operations spanning the country. Or industry is estimated to employ approximately 1.32 million Australians every year across 445,000 businesses, as of 2024. Statistics show that although this is a significant number, it only represents around 9.2% of the national working population.
In 2023, women compiled 15% of the of the construction workforce according to Master Builders Australia, with only 3% of them working on the tools. Questions have obviously been raised as to why female participation in this field is so low despite expressed interest, and Caledonia Group is actively working to find solutions that improve accessibility for women.
Barriers to the Construction Workforce:
There are multiple barriers that prevent women from accessing or entering the construction industry. Starting from a developmental, impressionable stage of life, girls in early-stage schooling often aren’t offered the opportunities to learn about trades or pursue careers or apprenticeships in them. The diversity of a construction career isn’t often discussed, either. Schools are where career options and visualisations start for kids, and without the early promotion of women in construction, there is little understanding that they also deserve a place in the industry.
Source: TPM Builders
Gender-based adversity and discrimination is a prominent issue within the industry and are often contributing factors to women avoiding the industry because of stigma or prematurely leaving due to this behaviour. In a survey conducted by the National Association of Women in Construction, 75% of respondents confirmed experiences of harassment or discrimination in their workplaces. These experiences ranged from inappropriate advances to delegating administrative tasks to women because of their gender. This creates a potent barrier to women entering the construction workforce and builds a negative stigma surrounding the industry.
Those women who have developed careers within the industry reported in the same survey that career progression opportunities are often far and in-between due to the treatment discrepancies between themselves and their male counterparts. According to TPM builders, 97% of CEO’s and 88% of senior managers within the industry are men. Progression and promotions are often considered dreams for women in the industry after vast figures of them reported that they were passed over for new, managerial positions because of their gender.
What is Caledonia Group Doing to Change This?
At Caledonia Group, we have a strong commitment to ensuring that our workplace is practicing gender equality across all levels of management, as well as our different departments – e.g. admin, finance, yard logistics – and recruitment stages.
Starting at our base traineeship level, we operate with government-funded recruitment agencies that offer various levels of support to different demographics. MEGT is a nationally operating recruitment organisation that connects apprentices, trainees and/or students with employers. Given that we operate in a male-dominated industry and research indicates the intimidation that can come for women wanting to enter the construction work force, MEGT offers comprehensive, confidential support to female workers. They also offer mentoring to our trainees as they undergo their traineeships to ensure that they are receiving full-term support from both us and a third-party.
Our recruitment team is working tirelessly to create multiple employment drives that are targeted towards women specifically. In the 2025 New Year, we are committed to increasing our men to women worker ratio and offering our office staff the opportunity to complete a basic scaffolding course. We pride ourselves on the diversity of our workplace and can guarantee that as our teams’ skills and interests develop, so do their roles within the company.
Supporting women in construction is not just a moral imperative; it’s a business imperative. By fostering a workplace where women can thrive, employers can drive innovation, improve team performance, and build a stronger, more dynamic industry for the future.
