For International Women’s Day this year, we want to focus on the sectors we know and work in, which are still, to a great extent, dominated by men. What’s it like to make your voice heard on transport infrastructure or technology as the only woman in a meeting? Watch our EV Infrastructure Specialist, Ash Burton explain her role and the net zero projects she’s involved in, and read our blog on urban innovation, and why it’s vital for women to be at the heart of shaping policy, services and the places we live and work.

In many of our projects, DG Cities acts as the glue that brings together different groups – public and private, tech firms and local communities – to turn a great idea or innovation into something that works in practice, for people. This means that day to day, we collaborate with specialists in a range of industries, from the built environment to transport and technology. Most of these sectors are still male-dominated.  

In the UK, the percentage of women across all levels in the construction workforce, for instance, is just 14%. In architecture, the figures are slightly better but still low, with women making up around 35% of the profession. The situation is similar when it comes to technology. According to PwC’s Women in Tech report, 23% of the people working in STEM roles across the UK are female, with only 5% of leadership positions held by women. One impact of this underrepresentation is the absence of visible role models, which contributes to an unvirtuous cycle of training and career progression: “78% of students can’t name a famous female working in tech.”

We see evidence of these statistics in our own projects. We’re currently working with the government and UCL to develop an evidence base of housing that is hard to decarbonise. As part of this study, we’ve been conducting interviews with a wide range of experts in the built environment, heating engineering and energy sectors. Stakeholder research has given us an insight into the gender balance across many of these organisations.

Our Economist, Leanne Kelly has been looking at the data: “Anecdotally at least, we’re seeing that those in influential positions to deliver retrofit work are quite male dominated, especially on the practical delivery side. But in policy, academia and roles with a sustainability focus, it does seem more mixed and there are key female leaders.” While this reinforces the headline statistics, sustainability roles represent a vital, influential and growing area of expertise - the trend toward greater parity here is a reason to be hopeful when it comes to identifying new paths into these industries for women.

To meet people’s needs, we need to understand them

At DG Cities, the approach to urban innovation is people-centred; our aim is to make places and services work better for everyone. To do this, we draw on a wide range of perspectives, in our research and in our own team. It’s vital that women’s voices are heard in the development of any new technology or service, particularly when it comes to issues such as safety. As Head of Research, Ed Houghton explains: “When it comes to self-driving cars, for example, the analysis we did for Project Endeavour highlighted a difference in perceptions of trust between men and women. Men were, statistically, significantly more likely to state that they believed self-driving cars were more trustworthy, whilst women were more cautious either for or against.”

Through surveys and workshops, we went on to explore related issues: how perceptions of safety in a self-driving car change according to the time of day or location, for example, or whether the vehicle is in the city or a rural area. In developing behavioural interventions, we also need to understand the extent to which safety is the driver for a particular transport choice. With this in mind, how do we develop safe, accessible ride-sharing services? How might we harness the potential of IoT to make a housing estate feel safer? What spaces do teenage girls want to see in a city? These are just a few of the questions that highlight the vital role of women in developing any policy, place or service.

International Women’s Day 2023

There are two things we want to do to mark International Women’s Day this year. First, we want to celebrate the fantastic women of DG Cities who are leading the way in their fields. Our small but mighty team bucks the trend of the industries we work in – our female/male ratio is currently 50:50. We also bring together a range of disciplines: transport, planning, engineering, behavioural science, communications, economics, project management and research.

It isn’t always easy to be the only woman in an all-male meeting, whether you’re discussing the tech behind self-driving cars or calculating the electricity needed to charge a council’s vehicle fleet. We’re proud of those in our team that go out there and do it, regularly and fearlessly – not least our leader in Smart Mobility, Kim Smith, who has been working on transport planning, project delivery, policy and high-level strategy for more than twenty-five years.

Second, by continuing to support and encourage women to enter these arenas, we can create a more diverse and inclusive industry that benefits everyone. We want to play our part in that. So, if you’re a woman thinking of a career in urban innovation, we’re always open to a chat. And as for making role models more visible, here’s an interview with one of the inspiring women in our team working to help deliver Net Zero, our Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Specialist, Ash Burton: “Every day is exciting, it's new, and what we do is really valuable. I wouldn't let anyone be put off, by anything.”