Amy Underwood believes breaking down the walls that confine career choices based on gender, especially in the construction industry, must start early.
"We are getting there slowly, but I honestly think we need to get into schools from a younger age and know that a job in construction is a job opportunity for boys or girls," said Underwood, a plant operator who works for her family business based in Scotland. She acknowledged the dearth of interest in the trades, not just among girls but boys as well, and sees social media as a tool to change that narrative.
Young hearts and minds, influenced by Amy's presence on platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, where she’s known as the_digger_girl, now witness a woman thriving in a field traditionally dominated by men, inspiring a new generation to consider the construction industry.
Underwood joined the CONEXPO-CON/AGG Podcast last fall for a conversation that emphasized the importance of diversifying the workforce in construction, including creating more opportunities for early education and emphasizing the need to showcase trades as viable career paths. (Revisit the full episode here.)
“The whole social media thing does help because now young girls have got parents who let their kids watch me on TikTok and YouTube...they know that they can do that, and that is an opportunity,” she said. “Social media wasn't really a thing when I was growing up. So now, hopefully having a few more girls on social media doing that, then it puts that thought into the younger generation, from a young age, to get them into it.”
Underwood pinpointed the skewed perception that prioritizes university education over skilled work in fields like construction. The consequence of this mindset, she noted, is a future with a shortage of skilled workers, driving up costs and affecting project viability in the long run.
In the United States, 10.9% of the construction workforce is female, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics; whereas, The Office of National Statistics states 15.8% of the construction workforce in the United Kingdom is female.
The challenges faced by women in construction go deeper than exposure and education, however, particularly concerning maternity care and parental leave policies. Amy shared her personal experience, highlighting the difficulties women encounter in returning to the workforce after having children. The conversation becomes a call to action, urging governments and employers to create policies that incentivize and support women in construction, including offering part-time, flexible opportunities.
“I had my kids when I was 21, so I was very young and I worked with my dad, so I got away with it. I was still back to work four months after, and I was still operating the digger on my due date,” she said. “But I feel like a lot of big companies don't. Once they're pregnant, they get put into an office for health and safety reasons. And then after they have their baby, they usually just stay in the office then, and they don't get the opportunity to come back part time.”
She continued: “It would have been really nice for girls to be offered part-time work on equipment. Like work three days a week or two days a week, whatever they've got to do. Work around. I don't know what you're like, where you guys are from, but here it's all or nothing. You don't get part-time construction workers.”
Underwood painted a realistic picture of the industry, as one that is tough – with good and bad days – and she said she tries her best to make sure that her social media reflects what it’s really like as opposed to an idealized vision.
“It's not all glam,” she said. “It's not all sitting in a nice, brand new 50-ton Hyundai, getting pictures taken. Like, you've got to get your hands dirty and get stuck in about it, which is not easy. You've got to be working in rain, hail, snow. But I love it.”
Underwood’s advice to everyone, but especially young women, interested in a career in construction is unwavering: “If it was a girl or guy, anyone, I would just tell them if there's something they really want to do, then absolutely go for it. Because I feel like if you've got that much determination and dreams and goals for doing something, you're going to do it no matter what.”
Photo credit: CONEXPO-CON/AGG
