With construction overwhelmingly male, Refuge says tradeswomen help survivors of abuse feel safer
One of the main challenges in maintaining the 64 homes for domestic abuse survivors run by Refuge is the reliance on a male-dominated workforce of electricians, plumbers and decorators.
“The presence of men can be distressing and could trigger past traumas for our survivors,” said Lisa Cantwell-Hope, the head of property services at the charity. “Male contractors need an escort to make our survivors feel more comfortable, and we always put a notice out to all our residents saying there will be a male presence in the building today. So it can be challenging and takes up more time.”
Data from the Office for National Statistics shows there were 48,000 tradeswomen in the UK in 2021, a growth of 41% from 2006, but it is thought this is still only about 4% of the total trades workforce, and construction is consistently ranked as the most male-dominated industry in the country.
Regionally, the West Midlands has the highest number of tradeswomen (who make up 4.4% of all tradespeople, above London (2.98%) and the south-west (2.24%). In the East Midlands, north-east, Northern Ireland, Scotland, south-east and Wales, they make up less than 1% of tradespeople, according to 2023 data from My Local Toolbox.
