Wolseley Research Reveals Demand for More Female Plumbers
Almost three-quarters (74 per cent) of adults in Britain would like to see more women trained as plumbers, according to research by Wolseley UK.

The results show that while women currently make up just one per cent of the plumbing industry, more than two-thirds of adults (71 per cent) think that female plumbers are as skilled as their male counterparts. This rises to 80 per cent among women, compared with 63 per cent of men.

While greater investment has been made by government and industry to encourage women to train in construction, research by the Equal Opportunities Commission shows that few inroads have been made to address the shortfall. Although 80 per cent of women indicate that they would be interested in a non-traditional career, 99 per cent of new construction apprentices are men. Last year, of the 3,000 new plumbing apprentices, just 22 were women.

The research follows a debate hosted by Wolseley UK in the House of Commons, which discussed how to break down barriers preventing women entering the industry. The debate, attended by Meg Munn MP, Minister for Women and Equality called for positive steps to be taken by the media to put female plumbers on TV. It also called for teachers and careers advisors to engage with school children early on to explain the more non-traditional job opportunities available to them.

The Wolseley UK research also shows that younger people and adults in Wales and the West were least supportive of encouraging more women into the industry, while those in the North West and adults aged 55 and over were most keen to see more women trained as plumbers. In addition, seven per cent of women and 10 per cent of all those aged 25-34 said, if given the choice, they would prefer to use a female plumber. This compares to six per cent of women and nine per cent of 25-34s who would prefer to use a man, with the majority saying they would be happy to use a plumber of either sex.

Alan Stevenson, Brand Director of Plumb Center, Wolseley UK, comments: "It is widely acknowledged that there is a major skills shortage in the construction and plumbing industry with less than one per cent of the workforce made up of women. Women still do not see the construction industry as a female friendly environment and, working with the Government and education authorities, the construction industry needs to change its practices and overhaul its traditional male only image.