ABSTRACT
Although women occupy a prominent position in the British labour market, making up 44 per cent of the labour force, they are subject to both horizontal and vertical segregation. The most severely male-segregated sector is the construction industry (90 per cent male) according to Census 2001 (National Statistics, 2003a). This chapter examines the reasons for gender segregation in this sector and the impact of policies to combat social and economic structural discrimination. It draws on a programme of research undertaken over the last decade, Women in Construction in Europe, including surveys of tradeswomen employed by local authority building departments or DLOs (Direct Labour Organisations).
