Gender diversity and equity, across all disciplines, is proven to benefit both women and men, within the workplace and outside of it, so we have a collective societal responsibility to push for change.

One of the most impactful strategies to increase numbers of female building surveyors is to encourage more young women into the industry in the first place. We need to get building surveying on the radar of the many bright, capable young women leaving education – to tell them about the role, the options available, and the different paths into the career.

From first-hand experience, having spearheaded a number of recent school and college visits to London educational facilities with the aim of increasing the awareness of surveying to students from a broad and diverse range of backgrounds, it’s evident that many young people think the construction and real estate industry is only for a certain gender, social background, or “type” of person.

It’s my goal to impress on them that this is not the case. Reputation has a lot to answer for, but encouraging a shift in mindset, for building consultancy certainly, may have a really meaningful impact on the statistics of the next generation.

Helping more young people to think about a career in construction or real estate will ensure we keep improving those numbers and head towards a more equal and welcoming environment for everyone.

But this needs to be a multi-pronged approach, using strategies that make a real difference, such as the establishment of junior boards, which allows less-senior employees to make their voices heard within their organisations, providing a sense of agency and influence.

Critically, bettering entry-level numbers is only one element of a wider story here.

A vision of opportunity

With the average age of qualified surveyors currently at 55, the profession’s skills shortage is likely to be exacerbated over the next decade unless sufficient talent is retained and progressed, so more promotions into senior leadership roles for talented female building surveyors would be timely.

Although many property firms now report gender parity at graduate level, beyond that career marker, ongoing provision and culture is paramount as a vision of opportunity for would-be female managers, directors and board members. The old adage of “see it to be it” applies here: if young people can’t see leaders in building consultancy that look like them, how can they be expected to believe that this is the right career path for them?

The industry desperately needs more diversity within senior leadership roles, where the influence of inclusion can have a massive impact on the real estate sector as a whole. Across all sectors, McKinsey also found that for every 100 men promoted to manager in 2024, 89 women were promoted.

The reason behind this broken rung is often cited as the motherhood penalty, which is deemed responsible for 75% of the gender pay gap. As companies provide support for employees who are parents, and increase hybrid and remote-work options, it is habitually women who take on caring roles, often becoming less visible in the workplace, and therefore overlooked. The UK’s gender pay gap is three times higher for women over 40 than it is for women under 40. Meanwhile, only 74 UK companies currently offer equal parental leave.

Practical action towards inclusion

Ultimately, what drives employees – regardless of gender – is access and opportunity.

Businesses need to be more conscious of job satisfaction for mid-tier employees, where parity for male and female staff can go askew – women who may take time away will be attracted back by strong client relationships, which have been well-maintained during their absence, and a sense of confidence and pride in their work. It’s the employer’s duty to ensure the juiciest briefs land with the best person for the job, not the one sitting in the office who shouts the loudest.

Companies are also doing more to remove bias from hiring practices and performance reviews but – again – this needs to go further. Transparent, publicly published parental policies can go some way to reduce hiring bias, ushering in a new generation of men and women who aren’t forced to expose their fertility status during job interviews.

Practical action to change the long-term composition, culture and capacity of the built environment, though improving mid-level female talent retention, and increasing gender balance at senior leadership level is profoundly needed as we move towards the next decade. As a member of Workman’s cohort within The Circle Partnership, and as leader of the firm’s Women’s Employee Network, we are working to achieve this through real action – such as the recent increase in our parental leave, and the introduction of our menopause policy, with further initiatives in the pipeline.

By taking practical steps, the building consultancy sector should pave the way for women to become future business leaders, who will benefit from first-hand experience of the value a supportive workplace affords for colleagues and for the business’s success.

This will be the ultimate demonstration of opportunity for the next generation of leaders of all genders, cultures and backgrounds.