A new research paper from the NCVER, ‘What if we could achieve sustainable change for women in manual trades?, explores why women remain significantly underrepresented in manual trades in Australia, despite decades of policy attention and targeted initiatives. While women make up a substantial share of the overall workforce and participate broadly in VET, their presence in trade occupations, especially areas like construction, remains very low. The paper cites Jobs and Skills Australia’s finding that “trades are some of the most gender segregated occupations in the (Australian) labour market.”
This is particularly concerning given ongoing skills shortages in many trade occupations, and notably the construction sector. The paper argues that increasing women’s participation is not just an equity issue, but also a practical workforce solution.
A key theme in the report is that career choices are shaped early by social and cultural influences. From childhood, girls are often steered, directly or indirectly, towards “appropriate” careers, typically in caring professions, while trades are seen as male domains. Schools and career guidance can unintentionally reinforce this by promoting university pathways or gendered advice. As a result, many young women “opt out” of trade pathways long before they seriously consider them. For the VET sector, this highlights the importance of earlier, more proactive engagement and exposure to trades.
For those women who do enter a trade occupation, the paper shows that workplace experiences are a major barrier to retention. Women frequently face “persistent challenges, including discrimination, limited mentoring opportunities, and workplace cultures that do not fully support gender diversity”.
Despite the efforts of a range of employers, industry bodies and governments, workplace cultures in many trades remain strongly male-dominated, and women often feel they must adapt to these environments rather than being supported within them. These challenges affect not just entry to a trades-based occupation, but also long-term career progression and retention, meaning recruitment efforts alone are not sufficient.
Structural issues also play a significant role. Work patterns in the trades, long hours, site based work, inflexible schedules, and limited childcare support, make it difficult to balance work and family responsibilities, which still fall disproportionately on women. In addition, access to apprenticeships often relies on informal networks (social capital), which many women lack. While there are supports available, such as pre-apprenticeships, mentoring, and group training organisations, these are often fragmented and not consistently accessible across the system.
The paper concludes that achieving real change requires coordinated, system-wide action across education providers, industry, media, government, families and communities. This includes early career exposure for girls, better support during training and apprenticeships, more inclusive workplace cultures, and stronger industry accountability. Importantly, the authors argue that isolated initiatives will not be enough, sustainable change depends on addressing the full “cycle” of motivation, experience, and support.
