{"id":522845,"date":"2025-06-24T12:31:11","date_gmt":"2025-06-24T11:31:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.constructionnews.co.uk\/?p=522845"},"modified":"2025-09-25T10:04:50","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T09:04:50","slug":"the-culture-isnt-just-toxic-for-women-its-toxic-for-men","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.constructionnews.co.uk\/sections\/long-reads\/interviews\/the-culture-isnt-just-toxic-for-women-its-toxic-for-men-24-06-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The culture isn\u2019t just toxic for women \u2013 it\u2019s toxic for men\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Faye Allen sat down to draft her new book, Building Women: How Everyone in Construction Can Win<\/em>, she thought she was writing about women.<\/p>\n

Then she realised she was writing about everyone.<\/p>\n

\u201cOriginally, it was just going to be about women,\u201d Allen explains. \u201cBut what I realised as I started doing my research is actually the industry is difficult in many places for men as well\u2026 It\u2019s really about getting everybody working together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Allen\u2019s three-decade career in construction as a quantity surveyor informs the book, which blends hard-hitting survey data, personal testimonies and practical recommendations. At points, the result makes uncomfortable reading. But ultimately it provides an optimistic call for change along with a roadmap of how to achieve it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe industry is difficult in many places for men as well\u2026 It\u2019s really about getting everybody working together\u201d<\/p>\n

Faye Allen<\/h4>\n<\/blockquote>\n

A former director at consultancy JS Held, Allen\u2019s journey to authorship began with an uncomfortable public revelation during the 2017 #MeToo movement. \u201cI did that on my personal Facebook page and it kind of blew up in my face, because I\u2019d never spoken about it\u2026 I\u2019d been assaulted at work and had never mentioned it to anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Later, while speaking at London Build in 2020, Allen encountered younger women reporting the same problems she had faced decades earlier. \u201cI was a bit like, okay, this has got to change,\u201d she says. Referring to the rate at which women joining the industry leave, she says: \u201cWe\u2019re never going to plug this leak\u2026 unless we start to really deal with the issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

A three-and-a-half-year effort ensued. Allen used all her spare time \u201cand all my annual leave, bar a very small amount\u201d to research, write and refine her manuscript.<\/p>\n

Stark numbers<\/h3>\n

The book is underpinned by interviews with hundreds of women and a 302-response industry survey. The evidence it presents is stark.<\/p>\n

\u201cI ran the survey at the beginning of 2023 and one of the questions was, \u2018Have you ever been sexually harassed at work?\u2019\u201d she says. \u201cThree in ten said yes. And of those, 17 per cent said it had happened in the past year.\u201d<\/p>\n

What disturbed Allen further was the silence surrounding these events. \u201cA lot of the time, it\u2019s when there aren\u2019t that many people around, and that\u2019s when it will happen,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd then\u2026 [they say] \u2018I didn\u2019t report it because I was like, am I going to lose my job\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her book also delves into bullying, workplace culture, and the burden of imposter syndrome, a phenomenon that Allen argues has been wrongly pathologised.<\/p>\n

\u201cTelling women they\u2019ve got imposter syndrome has caused a real issue,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s not a syndrome. It\u2019s perfectly natural\u2026 And if you go straight back into a situation where there may be bullying or harassment, all the leadership courses\u2026 are not going to make any difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead, she calls for structural change \u2013 arguing the cultural cannot be separated from the commercial. She connects toxic behaviours with the financial pressure on the supply chain. \u201cIf we are squeezing every last penny out so that big contractors can\u2019t make a penny of profit, that squeeze goes all the way through,\u201d she says. \u201cWe\u2019ve got disgraceful payment terms\u2026 and then you\u2019ve got people going bust all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Safety concerns<\/h3>\n

One theme recurs throughout the book: safety, both physical and psychological. \u201cI genuinely love construction and what it offers,\u201d she says. \u201cBut I want to make it safe for everybody that\u2019s in it.\u201d<\/p>\n

That includes men. \u201cMen\u2019s mental health in the industry is at an all-time low,\u201d she notes. \u201cWe\u2019ve got the highest suicide rate. That shows the culture isn\u2019t just toxic for women \u2013 it\u2019s toxic for men.\u201d<\/p>\n

The solution, she argues, lies in allyship and inclusive culture-building. But not every act of allyship has to be dramatic. \u201cIf you\u2019re not an outgoing person\u2026 you may be a more quiet type,\u201d Allen explains. \u201cBut there\u2019s still something that you can do. Being an ally is an active role.\u201d<\/p>\n

She illustrates this with simple workplace interventions. \u201cIf you\u2019re noticing a woman getting talked over in a meeting\u2026 just stepping in and saying, \u2018She just made a good point \u2013 let\u2019s explore that\u2019\u2026 That validates her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Importantly, Allen stresses, inclusion does not mean exclusion. \u201cMaking it better for women doesn\u2019t make it worse for men. That isn\u2019t the case.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her findings on corporate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies are more sobering. \u201cMost women\u2026 don\u2019t think [DEI initiatives] work,\u201d she says. \u201cThey feel like it alienates men.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead, she advocates for shared goals and shared spaces. One example is flexible working \u2013 still rare on sites but not, Allen argues, impossible. \u201cThere\u2019s a number of contractors\u2026 who\u2019ve tested it and proven it works,\u201d she says. \u201cProductivity went up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Allen credits firms including Lee Marley Brickwork, where bricklayers are paid by output rather than hours. \u201cThey don\u2019t need to be there from seven till six. They\u2019ll knock it out really quickly and be gone at three or four.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also champions modern methods of construction as part of the solution. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot you can do in a factory,\u201d she says. \u201cIt opens up opportunities for people. You can control the quality, and it helps with sustainability.\u201d<\/p>\n

The book doesn\u2019t flinch from difficult topics, but its tone is never defeatist. Instead, Allen is focused on what can be done by companies and workers. \u201cJust try and be nice to people,\u201d she says simply. \u201cThis is a human industry. We would not build anything if it was not for the people within it.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for the future, she\u2019s clear about what success would look like. Citing the current percentage of women working in the industry, she says: \u201cIf we came back in 10 years, I\u2019d want to see we\u2019ve absolutely smashed past 15.8 per cent female representation,\u201d she says. \u201cI want women to come into an industry that is inclusive and safe. And I want men to be in an industry that is also safe and respectful \u2013 where we don\u2019t have horrifying suicide statistics anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

Allen\u2019s tone is upbeat and optimistic, but she says that the battle is not yet won.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been having these same conversations for 30 years,\u201d she says. \u201cWe can\u2019t be here in 20 years saying the same things.\u201d<\/p>\n

This article is based on episode 22 of Construction News\u2019 FirstSite<\/a> podcast<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Faye Allen sat down to draft her new book, Building Women: How Everyone in Construction Can Win, she thought she was writing about women. Then she realised she was writing about everyone. \u201cOriginally, it was just going to be about women,\u201d Allen explains. \u201cBut what I realised as I started doing my research is …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":129711,"featured_media":522944,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[570,559],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-522845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviews","category-long-reads"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018The culture isn\u2019t just toxic for women \u2013 it\u2019s toxic for men\u2019 | Construction News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When Faye Allen sat down to draft her new book, Building Women: How Everyone in Construction Can Win, she thought she was writing about women. 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