Women in Construction: Thriving?
Barbra Carlisle • January 29, 2026
Are times really changing for women in the construction sector?
Navigating a career as a woman in construction can feel challenging as Kathleen Abbott Chief Growth Officer at Shawmut discussed on The Unlikely Executive podcast recently with me.
She talks about the challenge and about what’s possible when curiosity, resilience and strategic leadership come together. She reminded me that the sector is changing, expectations are shifting, and inclusive leadership is becoming a commercial necessity.
In the UK, women still make up only around 15% of the construction workforce and just 1% of manual site workers, which means the industry continues to miss out on diverse perspectives, problem‑solving approaches and leadership talent.
Building Confidence in a Male‑Dominated Sector
While the UK has made progress, cultural challenges persist and with the workforce shrinking by 12% compared with 2019 levels, according to the ONS, the industry needs more capable leaders, including women, to fill gaps and drive performance.
Resilience, confidence and advocacy are non‑negotiable. Kathleen’s experience mirrors what many female professionals face: you must back your capability, seek environments where safety and wellbeing are prioritised, and surround yourself with mentors who champion diversity and fairness.
Embracing Curiosity and Continual Learning
Kathleen went from from geologist to Chief Growth Officer. This is a study in adaptive leadership. Her curiosity pulled her from technical roles into strategic, commercial and people‑focused positions.
This is particularly relevant in the UK, where the industry is expected to face a 250,000‑worker shortfall by 2028 creating huge opportunities for women who are willing to develop new skills and step into leadership.
Ideas on how to thrive
- Stretch beyond your discipline, technical expertise + strategic thinking = leadership edge.
- Ask questions constantly.
- Move toward roles that push your boundaries - business development, project leadership, or commercial strategy.
Cultivating Networks and Support Systems
Senior roles can feel isolating especially for women who may not see many female peers around them.
In the UK, networking is still one of the biggest career accelerators in construction, particularly in owner‑led firms.
Schedule networking deliberately: industry forums, mentorship programmes, women‑in‑construction groups, or cross‑organisational peer circles. When pressure hits, having a trusted network is critical.
Balancing Ambition and Wellness
The UK construction industry is under intense pressure such as cost inflation, labour shortages, and tighter sustainability requirements.
This environment can push ambitious women toward burnout if boundaries aren’t clear.
Kathleen’s principle of “non‑negotiables” eg exercise, family time, routines is essential for long‑term leadership impact.
- Decide your non‑negotiables and protect them.
- Communicate boundaries clearly to colleagues.
- Replace perfection with progress, sustainable careers require sustainable energy.
Your Path to Leadership
Kathleen Abbott’s journey is a modern blueprint for thriving in construction as a woman: curiosity, resilience, diverse skills, strong networks and a commitment to wellbeing. Her message transcends gender as it’s about leading with clarity, purpose and humanity.
If you want to grow your influence, drive cultural change and contribute to a more sustainable and inclusive built environment, start with self‑awareness, strategic relationships and purposeful leadership. This is how careers change.
Want support building your leadership identity and confidence?
Join my programme that is designed for construction and engineering leaders who want to lead decisively, earn respect, and build teams that back their decisions.
If you’re exploring whether leadership development is right for you, book a clarity call with me and we’ll map out your next steps.
Ideas and thoughts on how to lead well through complexity and change
How leaders can manage redundancies well
Senior leadership comes with an unspoken contract. Be decisive but do not intimidate people. Be confident but do not dominate the room. Be passionate but tone it down. Be resilient but do not show strain. One senior leader described it like this: “People want you to be assertive but not assertive. Strong but weak. Passionate but not showing too much passion.” If that sounds contradictory, it is. And yet this is what many experienced leaders carry every day, quietly. When experience does not equal belonging In a recent conversation with a Technical Director who has spent over 20 years in a male‑dominated industry, one question stayed with me: “When do I get to belong?” This was not said from a place of insecurity or inexperience. This was someone who: - leads large, complex programmes - manages global teams - has built capability from the ground up - is objectively successful And still feels the need to prove herself again and again. That constant internal checking, am I being too much, am I not enough, is exhausting. Not because leaders cannot handle pressure. Because the rules keep shifting. The pressure nobody notices Many senior leaders normalise the strain. They tell themselves: - this is just the job - others have it worse - I can push a bit longer Until the body intervenes. One moment shared was stark. Working across multiple major projects, sleeping badly, always saying yes. And then the body simply stopped cooperating. A breakdown that arrived without warning. Not drama. Not failure. Feedback. What resilience actually looked like The shift did not come from wellness slogans or better time management. It came from three grounded changes. 1. Capacity boundaries A clear rule. If something new comes in, something else must move out. Not because of weakness. Because leadership requires judgement about capacity, not endless commitment. 2. Progress over perfection Daily focus on what can realistically move forward. Two completed tasks is not underperformance. It is momentum. 3. Perspective under pressure A recurring reminder in difficult moments: “No one is going to die.” This is not dismissive. It is grounding. It brings leaders out of panic mode and back into proportion. The quiet truth about senior leadership At the top, pressure does not disappear. It simply becomes less visible. Strong leaders are not struggling because they lack resilience. They struggle when they are expected to absorb contradiction, manage everyone else’s comfort, and never acknowledge the cost. Leadership is not about being everything at once. It is about being clear enough to lead without erasing yourself. If this resonates, it is not because you are failing. It is because you are carrying more than most people see.
