We’re delighted to see evidence that the number of women in the UK becoming tradespeople is on the up. 

According to a recent survey carried out by insurance giants Direct Line, there are upwards of an estimated 33,000 tradeswomen working at the moment - a 120% rise since 2019 when there were just 15,000 tradeswomen working.  

So what has changed - and why are more women picking up the tools?

Well, why not? There’s no reason why gender should hold anyone back from pursuing their dream career. The world has changed massively over recent decades and, with more initiatives in place to encourage women into STEM-related work, there are simply fewer excuses for women not to join the trades. 

Covid-19 is also understood to have played a part, with some women believing that roles in the trade offer more job security during uncertain times. 

A study by Powered Now found that 21% of girls within the UK considered a career within the trades during the first year of the pandemic. It also found that 15% of ladies who were already working within the trades saw record highs in demand during around that time. Interest is up, which means the opportunities are increasing. 

While the opportunities are there and women seem to be more partial to trying their hand as a tradesperson, they still face challenges. One of those is that, even today many people still consider these roles to be male-orientated. 

It’s not just a case of older generations not getting with the times either. An area Heroes survey found that 44% of school children believe working as a tradesperson is a “male job”, with one in seven saying that they don’t think a woman can work as a tradesperson because “they aren’t strong enough” or “it’s too dirty”.

There’s obviously still some work to do to educate some members of the public, but as opportunities increase and women become more interested in the industry, we hope to see more and more women taking up trade roles.