Although there has been much progress in recent years with more women entering the trades, it has been claimed that there is still a noticeable gender divide in the industry and that more needs to be done about it. Women need more help and encouragement if they are going to succeed in these male-dominated environments.
The heating industry has undergone a period of great change as the government has proposed new policies and developed new technologies such as renewables. This transitionary period has brought with it a requirement to build upon its work force by adding new and additional skills. Nowadays it should be easier than ever before for women to not only get trained for specialist roles, but a wide range of roles within the industry.
Challenging gender divides
Although much evidence indicates a high improvement in women entering the industry now, many critics have argued that there are still gender divides in play which is preventing women from catching up with men's pay. According to The Women and Work Commission (WWC), the gender pay gap has actually widened to 22.6% from 21.9% in 2007.
One way of tackling this problem is to encourage women to get into adult apprenticeships. The government has taken a massive step forward in spending over 1 billion on apprenticeships and the reaction to this development has been positive.
Despite the government's plans to beat this gender divide head on, and coming up with a host of strategies to tackle it, critics have argued back that more could be done to get women into industry. The WWC have been sceptical about the level of progress made and say that there is still plenty of evidence to suggest that a gender divide still exists in the work place.
Employers taking steps to deal with gender divide
Many employers have responded to the situation by taking some positive steps forward in preventing this discrimination. For example, Construction Skills ran a national advertising campaign to promote the construction industry as a attractive and lucrative career option for women.
Furthermore, British Gas have also taken action in challenging this gender stereotype. This was reflected in them trebling the number of women starting an apprenticeship in order to redress the balance.
Are women themselves not that interested in getting into the male-dominated industry?
Many of the UK construction and engineering companies have claimed that despite initiatives to encourage more women to enter the industry, job applications from women are still low. It was found that despite 80% of women saying that they would be interested in going down a non-traditional career path, the applications coming in are still low.
Many commentators have argued that an important step is to ensure that schools encourage and promote non-traditional career paths for girls. Inappropriate schooling is where these gender divides can come from. However, there are some organisations out there that are set up for the purpose of encouraging these women to enter non-traditional career paths. For example, the Women in Science & Construction (WISE) is set up to encourage young girls up to the age of 19 to pursue careers in science, engineering and construction. - 30517
The heating industry has undergone a period of great change as the government has proposed new policies and developed new technologies such as renewables. This transitionary period has brought with it a requirement to build upon its work force by adding new and additional skills. Nowadays it should be easier than ever before for women to not only get trained for specialist roles, but a wide range of roles within the industry.
Challenging gender divides
Although much evidence indicates a high improvement in women entering the industry now, many critics have argued that there are still gender divides in play which is preventing women from catching up with men's pay. According to The Women and Work Commission (WWC), the gender pay gap has actually widened to 22.6% from 21.9% in 2007.
One way of tackling this problem is to encourage women to get into adult apprenticeships. The government has taken a massive step forward in spending over 1 billion on apprenticeships and the reaction to this development has been positive.
Despite the government's plans to beat this gender divide head on, and coming up with a host of strategies to tackle it, critics have argued back that more could be done to get women into industry. The WWC have been sceptical about the level of progress made and say that there is still plenty of evidence to suggest that a gender divide still exists in the work place.
Employers taking steps to deal with gender divide
Many employers have responded to the situation by taking some positive steps forward in preventing this discrimination. For example, Construction Skills ran a national advertising campaign to promote the construction industry as a attractive and lucrative career option for women.
Furthermore, British Gas have also taken action in challenging this gender stereotype. This was reflected in them trebling the number of women starting an apprenticeship in order to redress the balance.
Are women themselves not that interested in getting into the male-dominated industry?
Many of the UK construction and engineering companies have claimed that despite initiatives to encourage more women to enter the industry, job applications from women are still low. It was found that despite 80% of women saying that they would be interested in going down a non-traditional career path, the applications coming in are still low.
Many commentators have argued that an important step is to ensure that schools encourage and promote non-traditional career paths for girls. Inappropriate schooling is where these gender divides can come from. However, there are some organisations out there that are set up for the purpose of encouraging these women to enter non-traditional career paths. For example, the Women in Science & Construction (WISE) is set up to encourage young girls up to the age of 19 to pursue careers in science, engineering and construction. - 30517
About the Author:
Tal Potishman, editor of Heating Central, writes articles about boiler, central heating, plumber Milton Keynes, underfloor heating and solar thermal. He specializes in helping save money by advising on efficient heating.
