Why aren't school girls interested in construction careers?

Phillippa Carnemolla, School of the Built Environment, University of Technology, and Natalie Galea, The University of Melbourne

Construction is one of Australia’s fastest growing industries. It employs around 1,143,600 people, which accounts for 8.7% of the total workforce. Over the past five years, employment in the industry has increased 7.3%.

The median weekly earnings for those working in construction are around A$1,305 per week. This is higher than the median weekly earnings of $1,209.00 across all industries.

But construction is also the most male dominated industry in Australia – 87% of workers are male. And the high earnings in the industry are partly responsible for Australia’s gender pay gap. Figures from August 2021 show the high earnings growth in the construction industry pushed the gender pay gap for full-time workers out to $261 a week.

• Read the full story in The Conversation: ‘I would not be respected’: senior school girls told us why they weren’t interested in a construction career