Fewer than 1pc of women are joiners

Research from the find-atradesperson platform Rated People has revealed the challenges faced by women who work in the trades industry.

Women make up less than one per cent of joiners and fewer than 4 per cent of electricians, plumbers, floorers and tilers. Across the 10 trades with the lowest representation of women, none has more than 5 per cent of women in the workforce.

On average, women earn just 72 per cent of men’s wages across 15 trades in the industry but for floorers and wall tilers this drops to 41 per cent. Women carpenters earn below £17,000 a year on average, with men at over £31,000.