Bringing daylight to building space
I wanted to be a nurse, but that wasn’t possible for various reasons, so I went into construction.
I started by doing a building and construction HND at the University of Bolton, and now I have a Masters in Construction Management. I work for Velux as an area manager. Light is a psychological requirement, and my work involves promoting daylight in building space. I have to spend a lot of time up on roofs, and when I touch ground it is always a bonus. Sometimes I think drainage would have been a better choice!
In construction, you are making a legacy. The past is in our present through the preservation of old buildings. And if you work on a new building, you are creating the future. I’ve worked on heritage properties, public buildings and private homes - from bed sits to mansions. It all has an impact on people’s lives.
The numbers of women in construction have never been high – there are growing numbers of women architects and quantity surveyors, but I don’t see many women on site.
However, I am a visiting lecturer at several universities and I am seeing an increase in some of the classes. Some people think construction is all manual labour, and this puts some girls off – I try to explain that its much more varied and interesting.
The industry has been good to me. I am a member of the Chartered Institute of Building and I believe members of professional organisations have a duty to inform, inspire or educate young people. I spend a lot of time visiting schools to give talks, and I am a mentor to women who are building their careers. Fortunately, Velux is very supportive of this. If we don’t do this at our level, then you can’t expect the industry to go forward.
I would definitely like to see an increase in females coming into construction, but I would like to think that they get jobs through merit – not because they are females. If we can encourage more girls into construction, then there will be more to apply for jobs.
My favourite period for buildings? The Victorians. They got the ceiling heights right! I love the town halls of that period, especially Manchester. Without those buildings, we could not remember the past.
It’s a great industry. It is constantly changing and I am happy to be part of it. I may not be around in the next 50 years, but hopefully the buildings I work on will be!
Barbara is a member of GetSET Women, the Chartered Institute of Building and Lancashire Women in Construction (convened by Construction Knowledge Exchange). She is an ambassador for Elevate East Lancashire , visiting schools to talk about construction, and has links to a number of universities.
Comments
Clare Dudman:
Great inspirational story for women and girls! And I agree about the ceiling heights of Victorian buildings.
barbara entwistle:
Thanks for your comments clare, if we can encourage more females to perhaps mentor students or encourage the study of construction then hopefully we can inspire the next generation -
Julie:
I always imagine that building sites are very inhospitable places for women (never having visited one). What is your experience Barbara?
Kath Littlejohn:
I was always surprised to see a woman working on a building site because I thought building site workers were mainly semi-skilled labourers. However, you have shown me that there is career progression and less brute strength there.
Barbara Entwistle:
Hi Julie, my experiences on the whole has always been positive, in fact Ive been doing it for a long time now, so know one really takes much notice, building sites are mainly male orientated, but hey, its just that there are not many females around so I suppose you do get noticed, toilets can be a problem sometimes, I dont think women and portakabins are that good really. Its really good to be part of the process of construction and I can only say I wouldnt change it. On the negative side, getting boots that are small isnt always easy. Perhaps someone should bring ot a range of gear for women on site. There are loads of us about.
Barbara Entwistle:
Hi Kath, as for the strength issue, we are not all physically as strong as the chaps out there, however some females may be. My role doesnt involve too much brute strength, so Im lucky. However there are lady construction workers, in fact there is a whole community of them in Todmorden. They build a great house too. and they have all kinds of skills, in fact they have won loads of awards for their work. Plus they do encourage other females, which is always a bonus. If the qualified girls dont encourage or inspire others to maybe consider construction then we will never grow the numbers. I think there are great opportunities out there, and perhaps we need to do more with schools etc to chat to young students including girls.
Ruth Wilson:
Some info on the builders in Todmorden. There\'s an article about Hilda\'s Builders in the Yorkshire Post: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/homes/Bales-build-better-homes.3177950.jp Also in the area and run by women: Amazon Nails - Straw Bail Futures http://www.strawbalefutures.org.uk/
Anonymous:
I work in offshore construction. I echo Barbara’s statement that getting PPE that fits the female form well and is comfortable to walk around in all day is very difficult. I would like to see better fitting overalls, boots and gloves! Other than this, the environment is always welcoming and friendly. I\'ve never experienced any hostility in offshore construction, but perhaps the atmosphere offshore differs greatly from that of onshore building sites?
Andrew Platten:
Well done Barbara ! Not many people will know this but you are a mainstay for the Cumbria and Lancashire branch of the CIOB. I do think your role with the University of Bolton\'s women in construction group is a really invaluable one, helping to support female staff and students alike. One that should be replicated across the region. In Pennine Lancashire we are promoting support for females to enter the industry via the sector skills pathways programme. we are using similar approaches to encourage and support females in the industry. As part of our project evaluation, we found that many people are extremely supportive, so attitudes are changing.
Barbara Entwistle:
To Anonymous - Off-shore construction - how exciting is that, that brings working at heights to new levels I would say, I would imagine trying to souce gear for women on a rig is near impossible, perhaps we should set up a company that offers smaller sized boots and other gear, you can get them but usually only to order. Im pleased your experience on the rig is like mine, a positive one. I dont think it differs to much from dry land, its just that I can leave the project much quicker than you can. Are you in engeering, as there are plenty of females in civils, and structural engineering.
Barbara Entwistle:
Hi Andrew, you praise me too much, but thanks for your comments, you know me well, and I would always rather do rather than say Im going to have to think about it. When I studied at Bolton I was one of two women who did a Masters Degree in Construction, so we were pretty thin on the ground, however it was the best thing I have ever done, I only went in for a cup of tea and a chat - and 7 years later I was still studying. What a great formula for getting new students. Colin Orr was the reason I studied, and to him I will always be grateful for putting my arm up my back and making me sign on the dotted line. There was no going back then. For all those thinking about going back doing some study..........just go for it. Bolton has got good numbers of girls and I think if the past students help out every now and again it can make a great difference.
James and Alex:
This site is ace! We love the UK Resource Centre for Women!!!!
barbara entwistle:
Thanks you two!. Glad you find the site of interest.
Anonymous:
Barbara, I have often thought that there is a huge niché in terms of women\'s functional clothing, such as PPE. A lot of my hobbies have this problem as well (e.g. motorbiking). Considering how desperate some people are to make money or run a business (see: Dragon\'s Den ;-) ) I am suprised no one has jumped at this opportunity. I would, except I\'m no business woman by any means! I am an engineer yes, mech eng by education.
Helen Backhouse:
Your blog has raised some interesting discussion on the issues women face in construction. Readers might also like to view the case studies on the Women and Maunual Trades website which explain how tradeswomen have met their challenges: http://www.wamt.org
Barbara Entwistle:
Hi Helen, just taken a look at the www.wamt.org website, looks interesting, I know there are loads of females out there who do loads of construction work, unfortunately I havent come across that many and I certainly visit lots and lots of building sites. I found the site really interesting, and the women certainly seem to filling gaps in the industry for tradespeople. How do the girls get on with the more physical aspects of the industry. Im sure they are more than capable of overcoming most situations however I would be interested to hear your comments.
Ruth Wilson:
PPE = Personal Protective Equipment (for those not in the know...) There\'s an interesting discussion on sharing PPE going on at the website of IOSH (European organisation for health and safety professionals): http://www.iosh.co.uk/index.cfm?go=discussion.view&thread=38118&forum=1 Thanks Helen for linking to the Women and Manual Trades website.
Barbara Entwistle:
I too agree with Anonymous about the range of womens clothing for site work, its not that we want anything outrageous, just stuff that fits really and doesnt have shoulders to big or arms too long. Perhaps someone out there needs to consult us about what we need. I must admit, I hate to think about your overalls on site, they must be really crazy. Last time I wore overalls, the crutch part of the outfit came down to my knee caps.......very fetching as you can imagine.
Maxine Clarke:
Does this blog have an RSS feed? I have just tried to subscribe to it in my reader (Google Reader) but apparently it can\'t find a feed. Best wishes Maxine (http://blogs.nature.com/nautilus)
Barbara Entwistle:
I will endevour to find out maxine, as Im not too sure, Ruth, can you help out here, and get back to Maxine.
Erica Williams:
We, the UKRC, are investigating the options of creating RSS feeds for various sections of our website and the blogs have priority. Best regards Erica
Subscribe by RSS
