💥 Sexist WTF of the week 💥
I was approached by someone representing a group of whistleblowers in construction made up of men and women, all appalled by the regressive, sexist messaging at last week's On The Tools industry awards night. None felt safe to speak up publicly. I am writing this on their behalf.
According to their website, it was 'a glittering ceremony [that] celebrated the best of the best in construction'.
Their LinkedIn page claims the org is about: 'Connecting construction to improve the lives of every tradesperson in the UK. We're the nation's largest online construction community, aiming to entertain, inform, and empower tradespeople in the UK.'
What went wrong?
At the awards do, there were promotional women dressed in skin tight, hyper sexualised outfits designed around construction safety kit. Very 1970s, perhaps the 90s if you're feeling generous. In their view, sexualising women in the industry must be the best of construction, objectifying women will improve the lives of every tradesperson, it is empowering 🙄
One image below was from their public insta, the other was provided by the group of whistleblowers. Another video that was sent had a woman in a head-to-toe skin tight yellow construction-themed outfit twirling about with a hoola hoop.
When women are sexualised as eye candy like this, it tells every person present that women aren't to be taken seriously, that they are objects for entertainment and titillation. It reinforces the idea that women's value is in their looks, especially in how sexy others finds them, not in their ability, experience or intelligence. It says 'we don't take women seriously.'
Did seeing women portrayed like this at the event make the women attending the awards night feel safer and more valued there? Or did it send a strong signal that it is totally acceptable in the industry to sexualise, humiliate and disrespect women?
The promo women would have been signed off at the highest level. Anyone who wanted to question it either didn't feel safe to speak, or their concerns weren't listened to. Everyone involved decided that it's ok to sexualise and devalue women in the industry, and portray that women are there for their sexual desirability not their brains or talents.
The organisation has spoken up for men's mental health recently, showing that it capable of thinking sensitively about how to support its staff in some ways. But this is a huge fail.
Women have far shorter careers than men in construction according to RICS data. There is a leaky pipeline, with women most often exiting in their 40s.
A 2023 survey showed that 1 in 4 women in the industry had been sexually harassed or assaulted, which adds up to 74,000 women industry wide.
It's not surprising women are leaving if they are unsafe at work and routinely sexualised. What happened at the awards absolutely reinforces all of this.
#sexism #misogyny #FFS #womeninconstruction #workplacesafety #sexualharrassment
