To empower women with a positive learning experience which builds their confidence and skills in a way that leads to employment in maintenance and repairs in the building and construction industry.
Please note that the current Habitat Women training program in Sydney has been paused for the remainder of 2026 and 2027.
The Habitat Women training program will continue to run in Newcastle, providing practical opportunities, building skills and delivering meaningful housing outcomes.
Habitat Women has demonstrated the value of creating pathways for women to build practical skills, however we are unable to continue delivery without the necessary funding support. Expressions of interest from potential funding partners are welcome, and can be directed to [email protected]
To provide building maintenance services while creating quality employment outcomes for young women entering the construction industry
Habitat Women
Women make up only 1% of all plumbers, concreters, roof tilers, bricklayers and carpenters*.
We exist to increase female participation in the building and maintenance sectors of the construction industry. We do this by:
• Empowering women to gain access and find employment in the maintenance and repairs sector
• Partnering with value-aligned partners to repair and maintain existing housing stock
• Increasing the diversity of skills offered by women in the construction industry
• Generating an income for reinvestment into Habitat Women and Habitat for Humanity Australia’s other important programs.
*2021 ABS
Our program operates in two parts:
1. Training program to build basic skills and confidence to be work ready
2. Work opportunity through our social enterprise maintenance and repairs service.
Research has shown that the common barriers of entry for women are:
Our program seeks to address these areas by providing:
Female participation rates in the construction industry are exceptionally low, with women making up only 11% of the total industry workforce and less than 3% of trades.
At the same time, the construction industry ranks as one of the three highest creators of economic value in Australia and is also the second largest employer.
The industry has a projected annual growth rate of 2.4% over the next five years and contributes 9% of Australia’s GDP.
Women face many barriers to employment in the building and construction industry. The physical nature of construction work is often offered as an explanation for the low level of female participation, however, the suite of tools and technologies now in common use mean that very few construction jobs, if any, require a level of physical ability outside the reach of most women in the labour force.
Instead, it is now widely acknowledged that the construction industry’s heavily masculine culture is the primary barrier to women entering the industry, with very few construction employers exercising a strong commitment to gender equality.
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