As we move into the second half of the year, the conversation around gender diversity in construction needs to move from reflection to real urgency. It’s important to recognise the progress across the wider built environment. More women than ever are coming into surveying, architecture, consulting, and planning, with universities and colleges seeing rising numbers of female graduates across both technical and professional disciplines.

At the same time, the growth, and continued support, of well-funded Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) programmes show a level of commitment that would have felt out of reach even 30 years ago. Initiatives such as Arup’s Creating Places That Work for Women and Girls show how this progress is starting to shape who we hire and the places we design and build.