Why the property industry has more to do on gender equality
The property industry has always, traditionally, been a male-dominated industry. Although we’ve seen more women beginning work in the field in recent times, there’s still quite some way to go.
Here, our colleagues Felicity Thomas (AssocRICS) and Adrienne Batt (MRICS) have put their heads together to come up with a few thoughts on why more needs to be done to get more women into the property industry.
How the property industry has changed recently
We’ve seen many changes over time, especially in the past few years, as more women have joined the property and forged decent careers.
We hope this momentum continues to grow and that young girls and women everywhere know they can be whatever they choose.
The property industry (like many others) is still predominantly male. That’s been the case for hundreds of years. You might even have an unconscious bias yourself without realising it. For instance, when you picture a chartered surveyor, is the person in your mind’s eye male or female?
We suspect most people associate any professional engineering jobs with men. We’re working hard to change that perception. Nowadays, more women are being encouraged to join the property industry.
There’s still a long way to go, though. Below, we’ve outlined our ideas on what the next steps should be.
What else still needs to be done?
Based on the chats we’ve had with people, one of the main barriers to women entering the property industry is representation. Quite simply, when a woman looks at a male-dominated environment, it’s off-putting. There’s nobody to identify with or relate to. We completely understand the hesitation that comes from this. It’s genuine and very justified.
To our minds, the most vital step for change stems from the guys, not the girls. Women can push as much as they want, but without support from the men, it will always be a struggle. The working environment must be welcoming, non-judgmental, and without bias. Over time, we think this should encourage more females to enter the field. As this momentum grows, we hope to see more and more women working away in property.
It’s also important to see more women at both the trade and CEO levels. Most females join in office management positions. We feel that having more women on-site or in board rooms would go a long way towards driving further change. Again, that probably comes down to representation.
The property industry should be all-inclusive (as should everything else!). A person should be judged by the quality of their work, not by their gender. That’s what we expect from everyone and what, with everyone’s support, is slowly happening in the world of work.
Want to become a chartered surveyor?
The property market needs more female chartered surveyors. We love this industry, and we’re sure you will too. There are many ways you could begin your path towards entering this career. These depend on whether you’re starting as a school leaver or looking for a career change.
We’d suggest university courses, apprenticeships or the SAVA route (highly recommended!). If you already have a degree in the property industry, you might be able to become a RICS-qualified chartered surveyor within 12 months!
We’d love to see more women joining the property field, particularly with us as chartered surveyors. Now is a great time to join. Businesses everywhere are looking for women to join up. In fact, many larger companies even have dedicated schemes exclusively for encouraging women into the property industry.
GB Home Surveys is a great place to work. Come and join our team! We can assure you that none of our fellow chartered surveyors will judge you based on your gender or background. The only thing that matters here is your work ethic, teamwork and willingness to learn.
Interested in learning more or applying to join us? Why not use the form at the bottom of the page to contact our head office?
If you’d prefer, you could get in touch with either of us directly. We’re always excited to hear from other women who want to join us in the property industry. We’re happy to answer all your questions and would love to get to know your situation better and will do everything we can to help. You can find our details by following the links to South Wales or Three Counties on the About Us page!
In the meantime, thanks for reading, and let’s work together for a better future for everyone!
