Right now, there is a lot of noise about  diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies being ‘woke’.

(image source: Solar Victoria)

A significant number number of high-profile companies (largely USA based) have rolled back DEI commitments.[1] This has been particularly the case following President Donald Trump’s statements and executive order to end federal US DEI programs.

So – are DEI policies needed?

I believe DEI policies in the workplace have a vital role to play in creating equitable opportunities, including for women.

This year, the International Women’s Day them is ‘March Forward’. In the words of Senator the Hon Katy Gallagher, this theme “reminds us that progress is not just about reflection but about taking decisive, bold steps to turn our commitments into action. This is our moment to drive change and ensure a truly equal future for all women and girls.”[2]

For the construction sector, we need more people working in our sector. This is particularly so for electricians. We’re entering a phase of electrification of vehicles and buildings, renewables and consumer energy resources. This is combined with a large pipeline of construction projects, including housing, government buildings, Olympics, transport projects and more.

To meet workforce demands, we must tap into the group representing more than 50% of Australia’s population – women. Although women currently represent only a small percentage of this workforce, the opportunities have never been greater. The progress made to date should be celebrated. However, we’ve come off a low base and can’t take our foot off the accelerator.

The National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) data shows the proportion of women in electrical apprentices has more than doubled in the past 5 years[3].

However, at the end of 2023, that data shows women represent less than 6% of electrical apprentices[4]. In the electrical trade, women make up around 3.5% of the total workforce[5].

This begs the question: why are women and girls not working in the electricity sector? There is no one answer. Contributing factors include traditional perceptions of construction-sector roles as masculine, construction industry historical cultural problems (including reports of sexual harassment and bullying), inflexible work arrangements including early start times (before childcare opens), and the (false) perception of a VET pathway as being for the kids who can’t get good grades.

Once women commence in the sector, they can face lack of appropriate facilities, workwear, feelings of isolation and being different.

Talking with women in the sector, it becomes apparent that little things can make a big difference. For example, one female sparkie told me how she didn’t have a toilet on site she could use when she was an apprentice – so she had to leave site and find a public toilet. This also created a situation where she had to let her supervisor know each time she needed to go to the toilet. Even well-meaning comments and actions like “don’t lift that it’s too heavy,” for items that aren’t too heavy can lead to a woman feeling inadequate on site.

We must not only encourage women to enter the sector but provide the support to retain female electricians.

At Master Electricians Australia, we are lucky to have members (electrical contracting businesses) who want more women in the sector and more inclusive workplaces. When our members call our workplace relations advice line, it’s to find out ways to better support their workers. We also have some fabulous female leaders among our board and committees.

It’s also encouraging that in Australia we have a number of programs in place, particularly in the last decade, that do seem to be shifting the dial.

These range from school programs, try-a-trade, exemplar projects, female mentoring programs and groups such as the National Association of Women in Construction. Master Electricians Australia has its own Women in Contracting group – a support network for women on and off the tools that also focuses on education and information for women in the electrical industry.

The Federal Government’s ‘Building Women’s Careers’ program is also encouraging. It will be interesting to see which applications receive funding and what results are achieved. It will also be interesting to see whether successful trials can be continued and replicated.

Master Electricians Australia has strong advocacy to increase the proportion of women in electricity, including:

• Support for small businesses engaging 1^st and 2^nd year apprentices to assist in allocating the necessary resources to supervising and training apprentices in their early years
• Incentives for mature-age apprentices and wage support for small-to-medium businesses engaging mature-age apprentices (which would assist in attracting women to a new career after having children)
• An electrotechnology senior high school subject that is ATAR-scaled with a focus on renewable energy generation, that also includes content from the Cert II in Electrotechnology – to attract more girls to the subject
• Support for more female VET trainers in electrotechnology
• Mentoring support and education for both businesses and apprentices in key non-technical skills (including male allyship)
• Greater exposure of potential careers in energy to school students
• Support for construction-sector businesses to implement measures for more inclusive workplaces.

In the words of an industry colleague, Michael Chesterman: ‘DEI is not about forcing ideological agendas—it’s about creating fairer workplaces, ensuring our workforce reflects the communities we build for, and making the construction industry more sustainable by addressing long-standing workforce shortages and imbalances’[6].

It also makes business sense. More diverse companies are more likely to outperform less diverse peers on profitability[7].

So, yes, we must march forward and continue to focus on improving DEI in the workplace, particularly in construction. A more diverse workforce leads to a more resilient industry, which in turn leads to better outcomes for everyone.

Now is the time to double down and implement successful DEI policies and programs more broadly and consistently across the country.

[1] Forbes ‘Goldman Sachs Axes Diversity Requirement for Company Boards – Here are all the Companies Rolling Back DEI’ 12 February 2025

[2] ‘‘March Forward’: UN Women Australia Announces International Women’s Day 2025 Theme, www.unwomen.org.au, 1 October 2024.

[3] NCVER – Apprentices and Trainees (2023).

[4]  NCVER – Apprentices and Trainees (2023).

[5] ABS (2024) Labour Force, Australia, Detailed.

[6] M. Chesterman, ‘Defending DEI: Why the Construction Industry Must Reject America’s Culture Wars’ 12 February 2025

[7] McKinsey & Company ‘Diversity Wins: How Inclusion Matters’ 19 May 2020 Report

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