Why supporting women quantity surveyors will help bridge the skills gap

Kathryn Ladley FRICS, with Turner & Townsend’s construction economist Ridha Shah, cost manager Megan Hartshorne and assistant cost manager Ruby Iredale, discussing their experiences, struggles and hopes as women in Quantity Surveying. Hosted by RICS on International Women’s Day 2024.  

A strong retention strategy will help to attract female talent

As skills gaps persist in the construction industry, a crucial step toward addressing it is attracting diverse female professionals into quantity surveying roles. To meet this end, employers will first need to examine their current approach to female retention – and what it signals to the Gen Z talent pool.

Since new flexible working laws came into effect, a prominent trend suggests that women quantity surveyors need - and will pursue - opportunities for flexible working, especially if this will aid their career development and generate more inclusive workspaces. 

This is now high priority for firms which are observing a slump in female interest, as more opportunities for flexible working dominate the job market.  

Firms will need to proactively respond to the drivers and deterrents for women seeking new roles, by offering benefits that can satisfy their retention needs from the get-go.  

Keep reading to learn how firms benefit from the participation of women quantity surveyors, the challenges driving demand for flexible working and how firms can leverage the skills and talents of female professionals with inclusive recruitment processes.  

Looking for a hybrid role? Search for flexible job opportunities with RICS Recruit.  

The number of women quantity surveyors has increased – but not by much 

Female participation in the industry has risen, but not at the rate it could. A century after Irene Barclay qualified as the first woman chartered surveyor, female representation is still disproportionate, with limited reporting on their professional experiences in the industry. 

In 2022, RICS’ women in surveying insight report found that out of 139,000 international RICS professionals across 23 surveying pathways, just 18% are women, with further disparities flagged within these pathways. 

Only 17% of these women are chartered quantity surveyors. 

The available data must focus on female professionals 

Toward addressing the skills gap, reporting firms should focus on the effective participation of women professionals, as e.g. quantity surveyors, engineers and architects. 

As it stands, such reports are limited – and data is scant. Women quantity surveyors’ experiences in the industry are based on a meagre % of women's participation across various functions, such as secretaries, administrators or site labourers.  

Not only is representation across data low; studies are focused on e.g. under-representation, recruitment, gender inequality, with limited information on professional women's participation in the industry.

The data is further disproportionate toward professional women from ethnic backgrounds, accounting for 10.8% of women across various functions. Fewer still are reports on ethnic women in decision-making roles, who make up almost 30% of women’s overall share. 

Why does the participation of women in quantity surveying matter?  

Essential surveying competencies 

Having crucial, relevant skills such as procurement, cost planning, financial control, contracting and construction technology, women quantity surveyors are well placed to fill skills gap across the industry. Despite this, they are under-utilised in these roles.  

A distinctive approach to success 

Women bring a unique set of skills and diversity to the industry, observed to have a higher aptitude for listening, creativity, attention to detail and organisational skills than expressed in men. 

A distinctive leadership style is no less impactful, with women actually outperforming men in several leadership qualities. They are also high performing opportunity experts, adept at networking and relationship management, which is essential for effective project delivery and client satisfaction.

Diversity in leadership

One area which is encouraging to see is in women’s share of senior, leadership and managerial roles, which has increased by 8.4% since 2013. Still, it remains a small share overall, making up less than 20% in 2023.

Within this share, the % of ethnic women in leadership roles has risen from 15.4% to 29.1% in the last decade.

Looking ahead, this relative strength in leadership diversity can set an encouraging precedent and accelerate the industry’s journey to become more diverse, by inspiring others to pursue this path.

How can firms raise female interest in a quantity surveying career?

Take note of the real challenges 

Challenges for women quantity surveyors are more subtle than 30 years ago, but they do exist. The most common challenges experienced by women quantity surveyors are: 

• Gender discrimination during the recruitment phase (43.7%) 
• Male domination and a lack of diversity in the workplace (25%) 
• Difficulty with support in work and family commitments (18.75%) 
• Experiencing a harsh and inconvenient work environment and culture (12.5%) 

Introduce inclusive recruitment processes and policies 

Making hiring processes inclusive is becoming increasingly non-negotiable for firms in the built environment sector. Put simply, without an inclusive recruitment process, companies will not find candidates who may be the most skilled and experienced fit for a role. 

Such examples of non-inclusive recruitment are assumptions of a woman quantity surveyor’s long-term availability, or prioritising desired personal traits over her skills and expertise.  

Another is a lack of flexibility over interview timelines and formats; e.g. refusing to allow a working parent to have a virtual interview at a time that suits them.  

By disproportionately limiting access to an opportunity, including reasonable time to prepare for an interview, employers run the risk of isolating highly skilled, diverse female talent. 

Normalise career breaks 

Among the top workplace challenges raised by women quantity surveyors is a lack of support in work and family commitments. 

This includes support for women to catch up with their peers on return from maternity leave, care leave, or dealing with other family commitments. 

To boost female retention, firms can work to create a supportive and equitable work environment that will not become increasingly male dominant as a result of women taking career breaks.

Not doing so has the potential impact of leading women quantity surveyors to believe that the only path to progression is by leaving their current employer. 

This applies at any stage in a woman quantity surveyor’s career; the number of years women are retained in the profession is almost half that of men, with men being more likely to achieve Fellowship status (FRICS) in their late 50s and early 60s.  

Why women are leaving the profession after approximately 16 years, is a pressing question for industry leaders to consider. 

One successful response from firms is launching female mentoring programmes: firstly, to improve support for women with familial duties; and secondly, to keep returning professionals up to date with industry news, insights and technical role advancements.

An increase in professional female networks, leadership positions, mentorship and role models are among the highest drivers for women returning to the profession and pursuing new opportunities for advancement. Even individually, they show potential to sustain growing female retention overall. 

Introduce flexible working 

The most successful response to women quantity surveyor challenges has been to introduce flexible working schedules and remote working, with 50% of female professionals opting to work at these firms over those with a rigid and hectic work schedule.  

56% of RICS professionals are married or in domestic partnerships, while 58% are parents.

The dominant age group is over 35, suggesting that the more skilled and experienced a woman quantity surveyor is, given her age and years of commitment to the field, the more likely she is to have familial duties and flexible working needs.

Likewise, it suggests these professionals will actively seek out firms that are willing and able to accommodate flexible working needs.

In the past, flexible working has only been available to employees after 26 weeks of service, but with the UK’s new flexible working laws, employees can now request this at any stage.  

Yet before the policy came into effect, female professionals began pursuing opportunities that advertise flexible working roles – and will provide this straightaway. 

The right support for women quantity surveyors is critical to their retention 

The participation of women quantity surveyors will exponentially improve the industry's image. In turn, women must be encouraged to pursue careers in construction.  

Reporting on challenges for women quantity surveyors is increasing, but even with the limitations on data, it has continued to reflect inequities faced by professional women across almost all sectors.

For now, it is clear that women’s interest in practicing quantity surveying will continue if they are given the needed support, training and platform to progress.  

Moreover, that if equitable treatment is being given to women, the number of women quantity surveyors in the construction industry will increase. 

Make your firm more inclusive for women in quantity surveying with RICS’ DEI Guidance. You can learn more about Inclusive Recruitment on RICS Recruit.

Find quantity surveyor roles with flexible working opportunities at RICS Recruit.