I am a Housebuilder

Just 2% of SME housebuilding businesses in the UK are owned and run by women, with women making up just 14% of the 2.1m people working in construction. The industry has an image problem and failure to attract talent from different backgrounds with different skill sets, is not only exacerbating the chronic skills shortages but also hampering innovation and growth within the sector. This is why we’ve launched the ‘I am a Housebuilder’ campaign as part of the All Party Parliamentary Group for SME Housebuilders. The campaign seeks to remove the barriers for entry for women in the sector and increase the number of women working in, and running, SME housebuilding firms. The three pledges are: • Increase visibility of successful women within the sector to attract more women to apply for roles. • Create a mentoring network to help women into leadership positions. • Work in partnership with trade bodies and organisations to positively promote the sector to women of all ages, when recruiting from apprenticeship to the board room.