International Women’s Day 2023 – Celebrating Shufflebottom’s Women of Steel
March 8th is International Women’s Day 2023 and a chance for people across the globe to stop and think about how we can embrace equity (#EmbraceEquity) and together work towards a world free from bias, stereotypes and discrimination in all walks of life. It is also a day to:
celebrate women’s achievements
take action to drive gender parity
At Shufflebottom we will mark this day of celebration, though 365 days a year we work towards these aims. As a manufacturer of steel and steel-framed buildings, our construction business and the sector generally, has historically been seen as a place that demands physical strength, that the work is ‘heavy’ and therefore a place of ‘men’s jobs’. We endeavour to shift this perception and to create a workplace and inclusive culture where women thrive.
It is a source of pride to us therefore that we are changing the face of the construction industry. Though the Office of National Statistics (ONS) has recently published data that sadly reflects little change in the percentage of women taking up employment, skilled trades and senior management positions within the UK construction industry, (up just 0.7% in the last 10 years), at Shufflebottom, 15% of our work force is women which is above the national average of 13%.
We’d like it to be more. To that end we are putting out the message that we are agile and flexible in our culture and work practices and that we’d encourage women to consider construction as an aspirational career, offering opportunity to learn and develop new skills, gain valuable CPD, and to progress into leadership and management roles. We are proof that outdated perceptions are shifting and that the sector need not be male dominant now that updated technology and internet literacy make it easier to work on and off the field for women. Our work force is therefore striving to be equally competent and benefit from mutual skills.
We’re pleased to say that we currently have twelve women of steel working with us at Shufflebottom in a variety of roles from managerial to structural engineering, and from health & safety to sales, accountancy and administration. All are so valuable to our business model and evidence of our aim to embrace equity.
But is it enough for parity? No. Shufflebottom would like to see more women coming to work with us in all areas of the business, especially in the factory in our steel production process so that we truly can show that we are embracing equity.
If you feel you’d be a good fit to our team, keep a look out for employment opportunities and apprenticeships on our website or send us a covering letter with your CV and help us achieve more equity.
To see more about International Women’s Day, please visit www.internationalwomensday.com