#EmbraceEquity: “Pink toolboxes won’t get more women into construction”

Talk about the family business was a staple at Gry Astrup Hansen’s dinner table. Her father runs his own masonry company, and her mother is a trained carpenter and construction technician. This young bricklaying apprentice from Denmark is a fourth-generation mason.

Gry hadn’t seriously considered taking up the family trade until she was encouraged to try it for a work placement, compulsory for ninth grade students in Denmark.

“I contacted a master bricklayer in my area and he agreed to have me as an intern for a week. It was the coolest week of my life. I then knew I had to be a bricklayer. On the Friday of my internship week, my master Glenn asked me if we should sign an apprenticeship contract. It made me proud. He could see potential in me,” explain Gry.

Gry is currently undergoing her apprenticeship with Glenn – whom she describes as “the world’s best master bricklayer” – and is attending her last school course before she takes her apprenticeship test.

At work, they are a young team of six employees and enjoy a great working and learning atmosphere. “Glenn engages his apprentices into the profession right away. We are allowed to try our hand at it all. And we are forced to make mistakes. That is what you learn from,” says Gry. “We do all kinds of work, including new builds, renovations, shutter work, and tile work. I think it’s so cool to see something grow every day. Being out with customers and doing a piece of work – it’s cool and satisfying.”

Despite the opportunities in the construction sector for both men and women, most young women are not interested in a profession that has been traditionally regarded as masculine, often justified by the harsh conditions of work. However, greater mechanization has made it possible for everyone to execute the same tasks.

As underlined by a recent project under the name Women Can Build, there are various obstacles to equality within the construction industry. Many women think that there are either no options for them in the sector or that they are not able to do the work. There are also biases at the job market level, as a male candidate is likely to be considered more capable than a female.

To attract more women into the industry, the study concludes, a paradigm shift in education and training is needed.

“There is simply not enough focus on the fact that there is also a craft education. The prejudice that vocational education is a second choice should be broken,” comments Gry.

“There must be more cooperation on elective subjects with vocational schools and companies so students’ educational perspectives are broadened. Apprentices from vocational schools can be teaching assistants in primary schools and become strong role models.”

Creating equity in the industry is not about “making pink toolboxes,” adds Gry, as she points out that the industry needs to expand and challenge stereotypes transmitted through popular culture.

“It is the new young generation that must change it. There must be more female role models. They need to know that is not difficult to find an apprenticeship as a girl, that something is being created that can be seen, and that it is a great community.”

Gry Astrup Hansen competed in Bricklaying at WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition, which took place from 24 to 26 November in Salzburg, Austria. She won a Medallion for Excellence and was presented with the Best of Nation award from the Danish team. Next September, she will compete at EuroSkills Gdańsk 2023 in Poland.