I am a housebuilder
Breaking barriers & building the future for women in housebuilding
I am a Housebuilder was initiated by the All Party Parliamentary Group for Small and Medium Sized Enterprise (SME) Housebuilders and aims to increase the number and visibility of women in housebuilding.
Through a leading mentoring programme and hard hitting campaigns around women’s Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and skills, I am a Housebuilder is breaking down barriers to entry, making the housebuilding sector a more inclusive environment in which women can excel and rise to senior leadership positions.
The long-term objective of the campaign is to increase the number of SME housebuilders, which would help tackle the skills shortages within the industry and boost housing delivery.
The scale of the challenge...
- In 2008 there were over 11,000 SME housebuilders and today, post the Global Economic Crisis, there are believed to be no more than 2,000
- Approximately 2% of SME housebuilding businesses in the UK are owned and run by women
- Women make up just 14% of the 2.1m people working in construction
- Just 1% of women working as a skilled trades professions
- The UK construction industry 72% of women have reported experiencing gender discrimination at work.
- The industry also suffers from a significant gender pay gap, with women earning up to a third less than their male counterparts.
I am a Housebuilder is led by a group of incredible women who run their own SME housebuilding businesses. Meet the mentors and our steering committee, from top left clockwise:
- Alice Maughan, Creative Director and Designer, Stronghold Homes
- Charlotte Edwards, Managing Director of Dennis Edwards Homes
- Rosey Cassidy, Director, Newman Rose
- Xuan Meng, Founder and Director, Cosy Hauz
- Elli Kiely, Sales Director, HJK Properties
- Rutu Buddhdev, Managing Director, Amara Property
- Georgina Hammond, Co-Founder and Director, Beau Property
- Sophie Horgan, Director, Horgan Homes
- Centre:Sarah Barraclough, Managing Director, Skipton Properties
The initiative is supported by the team at HERA Communication Strategies who manage the Public relations, marketing and administration, alongside the great folks at British Gypsum, part of Saint-Gobain and James & West Law.
Campaign pledges
- Increase visibility of successful women within the sector to attract more women to apply for roles.
- Create a senior mentoring network to help women into leadership positions.
- Work in partnership with trade bodies and organisations to positively promote the sector to women of all ages, when recruiting from apprenticeship to the board room.
Visibility
See it to Be it
We want to increase visibility of women in the sector to attract more women into housebuilding, specifically SMEs.
Through our social channels (below) and the leadership of our steering group we are working to increase diversity with the housebuilding sector.
If you run a course or apprenticeship and would like help promoting it to women or schools, please get in touch.
Mentoring
Holding up the Ladder
Our groundbreaking mentorship programme pairs women working in the housebuilding/ construction sector with senior female leaders from UK SME housebuilders.
Our 2024/25 cohort included 26 mentees aged between 24-58 from all over the UK.
The programme runs from November to November and we will be opening applications for 2025/26 in September 2025.
partnerships
Stronger Together
We are working with a range of businesses and business leaders to help bring about the changes needed.
From sponsorships, mentors, thought leadership research and events in Parliament, we need the support of those in the industry to helps us every step of the way.
If you want to get involved with us or one of our campaigns please get in touch.
