CHADWICKS Group, Ireland’s leading builders’ merchants, is delighted to launch a brand-new episode of its ‘Under Construction with Chadwicks’ podcast series to coincide with International Women’s Day.  

The latest episode tackles diversity in the construction sector and features Shauna Doyle known as @the_tarmacing_mammy on Instagram, Joanne Tracey, the first woman appointed to the role of Head of Southern Region Services for the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) and Tara Brennan, Marketing Director at Chadwicks Group. 

Shauna, a self-proclaimed ‘ultimate girly girl’, talks about her move from the beauty industry into construction and how surprised her friends were when she moved into the industry. Joining her family business, Doyles Tarmacadam, as a contractor, Shauna shares her passion for the job and why she loves working in the industry.  

She talks to host Donnacha about the importance of visibility and how small steps like Shauna collecting her children from school in her workwear can show young girls from Junior Infants up that ‘they can do it too’. She encourages women to try their hand at different tasks, getting experience across various sectors within construction, and how in Shauna’s experience the industry has been more than welcoming towards women. 

During the episode, it’s discussed that just 9% of the industry are women, and how challenging it can be to encourage more women into construction. Shauna, Joanne, and Tara discuss some of the barriers that face women in the industry that have simple fixes, such as workwear that fits women properly, and making sure the right facilities are on-site for women.  

An important point is made about communicating the opportunities that there are for all ages, genders, and skills in the industry, and building up the confidence of the women who are already working in the industry. They all agree that ‘If you can see it, you can be it’ goes a long way in showing women that there are careers in construction that would be perfect for them. 

Having a good support network is also called out during the episode. Shauna talks about how supportive her family have been in helping her learn everything about tarmacking from the ground up, while Joanne talks about the impact of supportive colleagues and bosses who have helped her in her journey. Tara raises the point about making sure men in the industry are also on the journey, and how important their support is as the industry moves away from differentiating between preconceived ideas around ‘boys’ and ‘girls’ jobs.  

The guests also discuss the importance of diversifying education from a young age, and showing the opportunities that are within the industry as well as the skills required – it’s not just physicality, an entrepreneurial mindset is crucial! There’s talk of how there’s still a sense of fear left over from the property crash, and a perception that construction might not be as secure as other career options but in reality, it’s a booming industry that needs to build up its workforce.  

To listen to today’s episode and all the episodes of the fourth season of Under Construction with Chadwicks so far, click here. Further episodes of the series will launch in the coming weeks and will also be available to listen to at chadwicks.ie/podcast, as well as on Spotify, Apple, and all podcast streaming services in Ireland.