About the project
The aim of the delegation was to galvanise support for greater inclusion of women in the construction sector and to express solidarity with women training and working in the industry. A special focus of support was on the redevelopment of the former Holloway Prison, the largest women’s prison in Europe, for housing above all social housing and a women’s building to honour the legacy of the site. Proposals for all the trainees and 30% of those employed on the site to be women have been taken up by Islington Council and the developer.
The delegation was organised in partnership with Tradeswomen Building Bridges (TBB), a network of North American women whose vision is to build transnational solidarity among women working in the trades, to learn about the lives and working conditions of tradeswomen in other parts of the world, and to share best practices for women gaining greater access to careers in the trades. The University of Westminster has been leading the way for research into women in construction since the 1990s, publishing and contributing to dozens of pieces of literature on women in construction worldwide, including several reports and a book titled Women in Construction published in 2004. The delegation followed on from Westminster’s great results in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021, which saw the Impact Case Study Celebrating and empowering women in construction rated at four-star level, meaning the research is world-leading in terms of its originality, significance and rigour.
The programme of activities began with a best practices workshop on 9 June 2022 hosted at Westminster’s Marylebone Campus. TBB presented four case studies of successful regional strategies in Canada and the United States where the percentage of women in the trades is now equal to or greater than 10%. The event shared strategies for success with UK construction industry stakeholders and gave them an opportunity for discussion and reflection on what might be useful for improving gender diversity in their area of work.
On 10 June, Westminster welcomed delegates to a reception, opened the Vice-Chancellor and President Dr Peter Bonfield. A weekend of activities followed in Islington with Reclaim Holloway and the campaign around the redevelopment of the Holloway prison site. These included a community picnic at Caledonian Park in Islington where the delegation met residents and local politicians, including Emily Thornberry MP, and spoke about what it is like being a woman in the construction trades, as well as a tour of the prison site and heritage walks. On 13 June Islington Council organised site visits, including to the Kings Cross Construction Skills Centre, and a reception in the Islington Town Hall (see photo).
ProBE also organised a research forum on 14 June, sharing research on issues concerning women in construction, in particular procurement, empowerment and green construction. Members of the delegation together with UK and Europe-based academics, trade unionists and practitioners were all in attendance. Some of the highlights of the week’s activities were visits to Thames Tideway’s offices, hosted by UK-based Women into Construction; the HS2 development and other construction sites, including UCL’s new global research centre for Neuroscience and Dementia and Further Education Colleges. This culminated in a networking event in the Houses of Parliament hosted by Emily Thornberry MP and the Chartered Institute of Builders (CIOB). Then a weekend of networking with tradeswomen from across Europe followed hosted by Unite the Union.
For a full account and photos see the Tradeswomen Building Bridges website.
Contact
For further information, email:
- Dr Maria Christina Georgiadou at [email protected]
- Dr Rosa Schiano-Phan at [email protected]