Gender pay gap data highlights that men get paid up to £15,128 more than industry females in trades

New research shines a light on the huge gender pay gap in trades industries today

Toolstation has uncovered the lesser-known achievements of top female pioneers across the last few centuries – and revealed the gender pay gap within these trade industries

• From household items like your dishwasher to bridges driven across daily, women are responsible for a number of iconic achievements across the engineering, construction, plumbing, science and technology industries
• Josephine Cochrane invented the dishwasher which is estimated to now be used in 46% of UK households
• Roma Agrawal MBE was one of the key masterminds behind the Shard building in London, helping to design its iconic spire
• The electricity and energy sector is the industry that sees the biggest gender pay gap, with women earning a staggering £15,128 less than men per year 

When you think of a tradesperson, you’ll likely think of a man. But new research from Toolstation has uncovered that some of the world’s most notable inventions and creations were achieved by women. 

From landmarks as iconic as the Brooklyn Bridge, to creating some of the world’s most used household items like the dishwasher, women have worked tirelessly to push through and achieve in their industries. 

Toolstation has spotlighted some of the key female pioneers across engineering, construction, plumbing, science and technology to bring to light all the key advancements that wouldn’t have been made possible without women. The tool supplier also researched the key statistics on annual pay to uncover the extent to which the pay gap still exists in these industries. 

You can view the full piece here. 

Tradeswomen born as early as 1839 are among the greatest female pioneers of all time

The first woman in the timeline is Josephine Cochrane. Born in 1839, the American invented the dishwasher after getting tired of her fine china chipping when washed in the sink. Dishwashers are now estimated to be used in 46% of UK households, that’s equivalent to 31.4 million people who have access to and use the appliance in their homes. 

Leading the construction industry is Emily Roebling who, following her husband’s illness, took over the construction of the iconic Brooklyn Bridge in New York. At its time of opening in 1883, Brooklyn Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world – with a main span of 1,595.5ft and a deck 127ft above water. 

Brooklyn Bridge was the first fixed crossing of the East River connecting the two sides of New York, meaning it endured huge amounts of traffic in the way of horse-drawn carriages and elevated trains. Now, its traffic is limited to just five lanes of vehicles, but given the size and strength needed for the bridge, the construction of the historical landmark was ahead of its time when opened. 

Name	Industry	Born	Died	Achievement/profession
Josephine Cochrane	Engineering	1839	1913	Invented the dishwasher
Emily Roebling	Construction	1843	1903	Engineer known for her role in the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge
Maria Beasley	Engineering	1847	1904	Invented the modern-day life raft
Mary Anderson	Inventions	1866	1953	Invented the windscreen wiper
Ethel Charles	Construction	1871	1962	First female architect to gain full professional recognition
Edith Clarke	Engineering	1883	1959	Invented the graphing calculator
Grace Hopper	Engineering	1906	1992	Invented the first computer compiler
Stephanie Kwolek	Engineering	1923	2014	Invented Kevlar used for bulletproof vests
Bette Nesmith Graham	Inventions	1924	1980	Invented white correction fluid (e.g. Tipp-Ex)
Lillian Ann Baumbach	Plumbing	1930	2000	First female Master Plumber (ever)
Valentina Tereshkova	Science	1937	N/A	First and youngest woman in space
Dr Shirley Jackson	Technology	1946	N/A	Telecommunication advancements
Barbara Res	Construction	1949	N/A	First woman foreman on a major construction project
Marisaa Mayer	Engineering	1975	N/A	First woman engineer to join Google, and first woman CEO of a Fortune 500 company – Yahoo
Roma Agrawal MBE	Construction	1983	N/A	One of the masterminds behind The Shard

Later down the timeline is Lilian Ann Baumbach who is considered the key female pioneer in plumbing. Baumbach learnt the trade from her father who owned a plumbing business. In her early twenties she acquired her master plumber’s licence and is often considered the first woman in the world to have done so. 

On the subject of firsts, Valentina Tereshkova is considered to be the first and youngest female to set foot in space. Tereshkova spent a total of 71 hours in space, spending more time in space than all U.S. astronauts combined at that time. Today, she remains the only woman to have completed a solo mission into space.

But data shows the Gender Pay Gap still exists in these industries

While pushing through and defying stereotypes is becoming the norm for these industries, being paid for what you bring to the role is a little further behind. 

By looking at key trade industries such as electricity and energy supply, architecture and engineering, construction, and scientific research and development, Toolstation has found the pay gap between men and women to still be present.

Profession	Male avg. earnings 2021 (£)	Female avg. earnings 2021 (£)	Extra amount paid to men per year (Gender pay gap)
Electricity and energy supply	£49,672	£34,544	£15,128
Architecture and engineering	£44,544	£30,711	£13,833
Construction	£39,235	£26,847	£12,388
Scientific research and development	£49,329	£38,725	£10,604

It’s the electricity and energy sector that sees the biggest gender pay gap. On average, women earn a staggering £15,128 less than men per year in this line of work.  

Next is the architecture and engineering industry where four of the 15 female pioneers played an important role. However, today this sector sees the second highest gender pay gap, with women losing out on an average of £13,833 per year. 

In the construction industry, the pay gap is slightly smaller, with men earning on average £39,235 and women earning £26,847. This means that men took home £12,388 extra in 2021 than women in the same industry – that would be £582,236 over a working lifetime if women enter the industry at 18 and work to retirement age.

But despite a slightly smaller gender pay gap in construction, this is also where women have the potential to earn the least, with women taking home just shy of £27k per year – the lowest female annual earnings of all industries. 

The industry where the gender pay gap is the smallest is scientific research and development, where women such as Valentina Tereshkova, Dr Shirley Jackson and Bette Nesmith Graham would sit. Here women earnt on average £38.7k while men earned £49.3k in 2021 – a difference of just over £10k. 

A spokesperson at Toolstation commented “there are women all over the world who are pushing past gender stereotypes in their industries, but it is because of key female pioneers like those above that this is even possible. By highlighting some of the achievements of women over the last few centuries, we hope to bring to light all the good that women (and men) are continuing to achieve in the industry. While there is work to be done to achieve pay equality in the trades – just as there is in most industries – awareness is key and we hope that by starting these tough conversations, we can begin to see change.”

You can find out more about the key female pioneers who led the way in the engineering, construction, plumbing, science, and technology industries here.