The nationwide survey of 626 tradespeople aged 18 and above, conducted in December 2021 by Censuswide on behalf of Rated People, discovered that well over a third of tradeswomen (39%) feel they aren’t taken seriously because of their gender.

One in seven (15%) have had personal safety concerns when working, and almost one in 10 (9%) say they’ve had customers who won’t let them work on a job when they see they are a woman.  

The findings are taken from the newly-launched 2022 edition of Rated People’s Home Improvement Trends Report, where researchers spoke to tradespeople about working in the industry, and to 2,015 homeowners about their attitudes to hiring tradeswomen. 

Positively, there is growing acceptance from UK homeowners - nearly half (46%) say they would definitely hire a tradeswoman, 43% have no preference, and only 11% of UK homeowners say they wouldd prefer a tradesman.

Almost one in three (29%) women, inclusive of all who identify as women, also say they would feel safer hiring a tradeswoman to do a home improvement or maintenance job in their home.  

But the research highlights just how out of sync the industry is. Over half (11) of the 20 professions with the worst levels of representation of women in the UK are within the trades industry. 

Women make up less than 1% (0.99%) of carpenters and joiners in the UK, and less than 4% of electricians, plumbers, floorers, and tilers. Across the 10 trades with the lowest representation of women, none of them have more than 5% of women in the workforce.  

The 10 trades with the lowest representation of women: 

Rank 

Trade 

Women in workforce - 2021 

1 

Carpenters and joiners 

2,399 (0.99%) 

2 

Electricians and electrical fitters 

4,177 (1.73%) 

3 

Plumbers and heating and ventilating engineers 

3,283 (1.93%) 

4 

Metal working production and maintenance fitters 

3,594 (1.93%) 

5 

Elementary construction occupations 

5,383 (3.03%) 

6 

Glaziers, window fabricators and fitters 

1,472 (3.45%) 

7 

Floorers and wall tilers 

1,111 (3.46%) 

8 

Electrical and electronics technicians 

1,177 (3.61%) 

9 

Electrical and electronic trades 

2,932 (3.91%) 

10 

Building trades  

9,829 (4.01%) 

On average, women earn just 72% of what men do across 15 key trades in the industry. But for floorers and wall tilers, this drops to a staggeringly low 41%. The few women who are carpenters earn just shy of £17,000 a year on average, but men in the same trade earn over £31,000 – a difference of almost £15,000 a year, or, put another way, an annual carpenter’s salary for a woman is just 53% of a man’s.  

Women electricians earn 54% of what men do. Women in construction and building trades only earn the equivalent of 57% of a man’s salary, and women plumbers would take home just 61% of what a man would in the same trade.  

The 10 trades with biggest gender pay gaps: 

Rank 

Occupation 

Average women's annual pay 

Average men's annual pay 

Difference in pay 

Women's pay as a percentage of men's 

1 

Floorers and wall tilers 

£12,514 

£30,764 

£18,250 

41% 

2 

Metal working production and maintenance fitters 

£19,814 

£38,586 

£18,772 

51% 

3 

Electrical and electronic trades  

£19,814 

£38,586 

£18,772 

51% 

4 

Glaziers, window fabricators and fitters 

£13,557 

£26,071 

£12,514 

52% 

5 

Carpenters and joiners 

£16,686 

£31,286 

£14,600 

53% 

6 

Electricians and electrical fitters 

£20,336 

£37,543 

£17,207 

54% 

7 

Construction and building trades  

£18,250 

£31,807 

£13,557 

57% 

8 

Painters and decorators 

£16,164 

£28,157 

£11,993 

57% 

9 

Plumbers and heating and ventilating engineers 

£21,900 

£35,979 

£14,079 

61% 

10 

Electrical and electronics technicians 

£26,593 

£33,371 

£6,778 

80% 

There are good indicators that change is starting to happen, however: 32% of women in the UK now say they’d consider working in the trades industry. This could be a knock-on effect of the pandemic – people re-evaluating their professional life, for example, or perhaps from increasing awareness of the opportunities that are available. According to Access Training, admissions of women on trade courses increased by 27% in 2021.  

Google data also shows many homeowners are actively trying to find tradeswomen across a variety of trades. People searched for women painters the most in 2021, pulling in 27,500 Google searches over 12 months, and women builders, gardeners, plumbers and electricians also saw between 5,000 to 10,000 Google searches in 2021. 

When speaking to tradeswomen about the biggest benefits of working in the industry, flexibility is key, with the top three advantages all about having increased autonomy.

Almost one in four (22%) said ‘being their own boss’ was one of the biggest benefits for them, while 18% said it was the flexible working hours, and 15% said they loved being able to choose how much work they took on.  

Helping women homeowners feel safe was also a positive, with almost one in 10 (8%) tradeswomen saying they valued getting to help women who don’t feel comfortable or safe having a tradesman come into their home. 

Following the research, Rated People has launched the Rated People Empowering Tradeswomen Programme to help more women get into the trades industry and build successful careers.

Whether they are considering a career change, or they will soon be leaving school and are considering their options, the programme is designed to help women at all stages of their trades careers. 

The Rated People Empowering Tradeswomen Programme includes discounted skills training with Access Training, discounted business advice and coaching with Business Trades Coach, Alison Warner, and free exposure and discounted job leads on Rated People.  

Adrienne Minster, CEO of Rated People, commented: “We’ve long valued individuality, diversity and inclusion at Rated People. Empowering more women and people across the gender spectrum to build successful careers in trades services is a priority for us. There’s still a lot to be done, but it’s a challenge we’re embracing.  

“With 14 of the 15 top trades recruiting significantly less women than men, getting more women into trades services can also play a huge role in helping to address the industry’s workforce shortage. 

“At Rated People, we’re making a pledge to feature more tradeswomen role models, and we want to promote the incredible work being done by tradeswomen in the industry. We also want to make it easier for more women to get into the business, so we’ve launched a new programme that’s packed with benefits, help and advice. 

No matter your background or career, we invite you to stand with us as we help strive towards a more diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce.”