Ane Alonso is an architect specialising in gender perspective, and has taken part in architecture, urban planning, gender and civic participation projects in various municipalities across the Basque Country.

In 2023, following the publication of her research into women on construction sites -which won the 9th edition of the Emakunde Basque Institute for Women’s research award-, she collaborated on the Bringing Women Closer to Construction project with the Basque Construction Cluster, and contributed to the documentary Women on Site: Breaking Down Walls, produced by the Provincial Council of Bizkaia.

Ane, how did your interest in architecture and urban planning through a gender lens begin?

I’ve always had a feminist awareness, and working in a largely male-dominated profession has sharpened that view. It’s pushed me to focus on making gender-based discrimination and inequalities more visible — because they are still very much there.

What personal or professional obstacles have you faced as a woman in this sector, and how have you dealt with them?

In my case, having an architecture degree at a time when not many women did — and being in a role that carries a certain professional hierarchy — gave me a kind of protective shield. What I’ve mostly experienced is paternalism: this attitude of wanting to protect us — although I’m not sure from what, exactly — but in reality, it just ends up undermining us. Like when you’re about to climb some scaffolding and someone says, “Do you need help?” — well, no, I don’t need help.

At one point, I used to take more of an educational approach, trying to explain why that kind of behaviour was inappropriate. But I’ll admit that now, with time, age and a bit of fatigue, I mostly just ignore it and get on with my work like anyone else.

You recently published the study The Absence of Women in On-Site Construction Work. What was the most surprising finding during your research?

The first conclusion — and one that did come as a bit of a shock — was realising that while women make up around 8–10% of the construction workforce (depending on the subsector), when we zoom in on on-site jobs, that figure drops to less than 1%. That’s why I refer to it as an “absence” of women in on-site construction in my research.

And despite how stark that figure is, there’s no real sense that it’s a problem. Construction is a sector that is overwhelmingly male — especially when it comes to on-site roles — and yet no one seems particularly bothered. There’s no collective awareness or concern that something isn’t working. It’s just accepted as “the way it’s always been.” But the first step towards solving a problem is recognising that there is one.

What structural factors do you think still make it difficult for women to enter construction sites?

One of the key conclusions was that the problem is simply invisible — and on top of that, outdated stereotypes still dominate, both in terms of what people think on-site work involves, and in terms of what women are supposedly capable of. These stereotypes work both ways, and they feed off one another.

To break them down, visibility is key. We need to get across the message that nowadays, you don’t need to be physically strong to work on-site — technology and specialised tools have made a huge difference. And just because there are lots of men on-site, that doesn’t mean it’s an unfriendly or hostile environment for women. From what I’ve gathered in interviews, the women who are on-site don’t see it that way.

What role does vocational training play in reversing this exclusion? Are training centres adapting to the current reality?

Training is absolutely essential to any kind of transformation. I believe many educational centres are making a genuine effort — and a lot has already changed. It’s still mostly boys who sign up for on-site construction training, and until recently, most of the teaching staff were men too. But more and more women are now teaching in vocational training, and specifically in construction modules.

There’s a real effort to support and look after the few girls who do enter those courses. The challenge now is attracting more of them — encouraging girls to consider construction as a valid and appealing career path.

If you could implement three concrete measures to speed up women’s inclusion on construction sites, what would they be?

If I could make a wish list, one of the first things I’d ask for is a proper TV campaign — something like the ones the military used to do — sending out the message that these are jobs anyone can do, if they get the right training and put their mind to it, regardless of gender. That might help remove some of the hesitation, because I think a lot of women don’t even see the door to the construction industry. It’s just not on their radar.

Secondly, I’d push for proper pregnancy regulation. It’s true that a lot of on-site work is physically demanding and not compatible with late-stage pregnancy — but that’s not unique to construction. We have national examples of how to regulate this, and given how few women currently work on-site, I think we could make an effort to tackle this issue and ease their entry into the sector.

And finally, we need to create role models. One major barrier is the total lack of visible female role models, which reinforces the idea that construction isn’t “women’s work.” That perception needs breaking down — and we need to celebrate the women who are out there on-site, because they’re paving the way in an incredibly tough environment.

What would you say to a young woman unsure about whether to train for a traditionally male trade like construction?

One thing women often don’t realise is how good the pay and conditions can be in construction — especially compared to many low-paid, female-dominated jobs. We also need to highlight the fact that construction offers a wide range of qualifications and job types. There’s something for everyone — you might find bricklaying a bit heavy-going, but love electrics or site management.

It’s a sector with real potential to be attractive to women. The challenge lies in showing them that — and that’s where the industry itself needs to step up and put the effort into visibility.

How do you see the future of the sector in terms of gender equality? Are we really making progress, or is the change slower than it seems?

Without a doubt, increasing the number of women in the sector would hugely improve how it’s seen by society. Let’s be honest: construction doesn’t exactly have the best reputation. So the sector needs to be: concerned, for one; actively looking for solutions, for another; and fully aware that real work is needed to achieve equality.

From what I’ve seen, unlike in other sectors where women have made inroads thanks to their qualifications, academic record, or bias-free recruitment, in construction it’s still overwhelmingly about being a man with on-site experience. That’s what counts most in job interviews today.

What do you think of initiatives like ‘Women Can Build LatAm’?

Anything aimed at smoothing the path for women into on-site jobs is fantastic. And this particular project seems really valuable — it gives women the chance to experience on-site work first-hand, and opens up a potential livelihood.

Plus, it’s built on the two pillars I think are fundamental to changing any society or system: education and employment.