Research Reveals a Third of Homeowners Would Prefer a Female Tradesperson

Research by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has shown that a third of homeowners in the UK would prefer to hire a female builder, instead of a male.

The results found that 30% of homeowners would rather hire a female builder or tradesperson to carry out a task in their home, as opposed to a male. Women in particular feel positive about hiring a female.

Further research looked into why they would prefer to hire a female, and the results were as follows:

• 51% think female tradespeople might be more respectful of their home
• 46% would like to support more women working in non-traditional job roles
• 42% might feel more at ease with a female tradesperson
• 37% think female tradespeople might be more trustworthy
• 35% think female tradespeople might be friendlier
• 30% think women often have better attention to detail than men
• 20% prefer the company of women
• 18% relate better to other women
• 16% think it would be a novelty and a welcome change to hire a female

Interestingly, despite the positive feelings towards hiring a female tradesperson, 30% fewer people would encourage their daughters to pursue a career in construction than their sons.

Brian Berry, chief executive of the FMB says: “There’s a clear appetite among consumers for more women to enter the building industry with one third of home owners saying they would rather hire a female builder. There are numerous reasons for this and chief among them is that these home owners feel that female tradespeople might be more respectful of their home. Consumers are also keen to support more women working in non-traditional job roles which is a breath of fresh air. However, there’s a serious gap in the market here as currently only 2% of tradespeople are women.”

When it comes to choosing their builder or tradesperson however, nearly two thirds of the public are ‘gender blind’ and don’t care if they hire a man or a woman.

This research clearly shows that there is a demand for more women in the housebuilding and construction industry. If you are looking for a role within the industry, Show House Jobs has been created to address the skills shortage within the construction industry, and advertises roles from apprenticeships to director level from housebuilders across the country.