23/07/2010
A Rising Demand for Female Plumbers
A UK survey by 1st Action Plumbing reveals that 57% of Brits want to see more women making their mark in the plumbing industry. As the plumbing industry has traditionally been male-dominated, this survey is encouraging and proves that people believe qualified female plumbers are just as capable of doing the job as their male counterparts.
Richard Clarke, Chairman of 1st Action says: “The 9% of Brits from our poll who believe plumbing is men’s work should think again. Don’t get me wrong, plumbing is hard work and not always the easiest of career paths, but the antiquated view that the job can’t be performed equally by a woman is ridiculous. As an industry we must actively encourage more women in to the industry not only to equalise the current gender bias but also to help tackle issues such as skills shortages in plumbing”.
In the case of the elderly and the vulnerable, 12% of respondents said they would feel safer and more at ease hiring a female plumber to do the job. A source says “Elderly people have been taken advantage of by men in the workplace, so they in particular would appreciate more female representation within the industry”.
A recent report from the Equal Opportunities Commission in 2001 reports there are only 17 registered female plumbers, but many local authorities are trying to attract more women into the trades, including plumbing.
Clarke concluded: “Despite the fact that there is an obvious demand for more female plumbers, 6% of people didn’t know that female plumbers existed which emphasises that as an industry we aren’t even scratching the surface in terms of an equal representation. My hope is that any past stigma that plumbing is a man’s job will soon fade and that more women will be encouraged into a least considering a career in plumbing”.
Source: 1st Action Press Release
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