New coalition launches to advance gender equality in Irish construction

A new industry-led coalition has launched to improve the recruitment, retention, and career progression of women across Ireland's construction sector.

Constructing Equality Ireland, facilitated by Business in the Community Ireland, aims to develop practical, evidence-based measures that can be adopted by construction firms of various sizes and stages. The programme is supported by a steering group that includes representation from the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) and Women in Construction Ireland (WICI), alongside its founding partners.

Data cited by the initiative highlights the scale of gender imbalance in the sector. Women currently account for just 10.9% of the Irish construction workforce, while holding 9.1% of board seats and 15.2% of senior leadership roles.

By uniting industry knowledge, research, and lived experiences, the coalition aims to establish a coordinated sector-wide response to shared career barriers, transitioning common challenges into actionable strategies to foster long-term change.