International Women’s Day 2025 – Accelerating Action at Virtus and Beyond!

Rebecca: “Virtus are actively investing in training women in their early careers in the construction industry, one being myself as our newest Apprentice Quantity Surveyor, being mentored by Senior Commercial Manager, Michael Camp. I think it is a great idea to have senior employees in the company actively mentoring women. Employees early in their career are encouraged to share perspectives and I feel comfortably supported here without my gender really seeming to impact anything.”

Asia: “Dulwich Hamlet actively sought to acquire a Women’s team (previously Phoenix FC) in 2019, which shows they were proactive in uplifting the sport for women, at the same time as providing those players with state of the art facilities that they might not have had access to before.”

Rhea: “The club is run really well with a big focus on grassroots football and community. This means that lots of young girls are getting to see us play on a platform. The Dulwich community has not just helped young girls, but it has personally helped me develop my career as I now get to coach an inclusive non-binary & women’s team. Having the Dulwich name behind me has given me amazing opportunities and really lifted me up.”

Rebecca: “In a previous role in the healthcare industry, I noticed a colleague was suffering with mental ill health after returning from maternity leave. Management did not seem to be recognising stress and postpartum effects as drivers of missed deadlines at work. After presenting a sensitive case to management, I was able to help push for more support through a change in policy. At the time, it felt frustrating that my company did not already have this support in place, however in hindsight I feel really happy that I made a difference for my colleague and the service as a whole.”

Asia: “Where I work at Arsenal, they have just created a ‘Women in Football’ group which aims to empower women in general throughout the industry. I haven’t been too involved yet but I am hoping to use this as a way to give back to other women in this industry.”

Rhea:  “Coaching has really helped me advocate for people in the community, specifically for women of colour and those who are part of the LGBTQ+ community which I love. I advocate for them to take up spaces and to make sure they get media coverage to boost representation of women in sport. This does make me feel great and I feel lucky that I can be that person for other people.”

Rebecca: “While in a previous role I enjoyed giving talks at local schools about becoming a scientist as a woman. I believe that a lot of my career confidence has stemmed from my brilliant all-girls secondary school who exposed us to diverse alumni in a variety of roles. This likely contributed to why, as a woman, I have had the confidence to start working in more male-dominated fields like the construction industry. While doing these talks, I wanted to make sure that other young people had the same opportunity for representation that I had.

Although not a personal challenge, it became apparent that many of the female speakers were juggling work with many other commitments such as childcare, and that talks taking place in the evening were often impossible for them to attend.

This challenge can easily be addressed by employers allowing their staff time to give back to community groups such as schools, within work hours. Having representation at these events can be the catalyst for inspiring young people to join industries, and so I feel this is a really important lesson. As part of Virtus’ Social Value Policy, we are able to get involved in different community projects and engagement, and once fully qualified in quantity surveying, I hope to be able to be that catalyst, to inspire young girls who may want to work in construction.”

Asia: “Controversially, we have had frustrating interactions with referees alluding to rules not being as important in the women’s game because its ‘just a women’s game’. This is not only frustrating while in the game, but it also diminishes and compares the women’s game with the men’s, when the rules should just be the rules. We are able to report this behaviour, but I do not feel this challenge has been addressed successfully just yet unfortunately.”

Rhea:  “Thinking of my coaching role, which I love, I was actually very hesitant to take on the role and it took me almost 2 years to go for it. I had only really seen male coaches throughout my childhood playing, and on TV. I really did doubt that I would be able to do a good job as a woman. Looking back, I do think my hesitance came from a little bit of imposter syndrome. When we don’t see people like us in certain positions, it can really hold us back. I am so glad that I made the jump, and the more we can be represented in these roles, the more people will do the same.”

Rebecca: “At Virtus, our head of ESG is a woman. It was great to see a woman put into in a lead role here especially as I had just started training. I think that in any field that is heavily dominated by a particular gender, it is always great to see a mixture at more senior levels.”

Asia: “In a recent Match against Lewes, there was a great campaign run which highlighted the disparity between women’s and men’s prize funds for the FA cup. Although the prize funds are still very different, I do think these awareness campaigns get good conversations going, acting as a stepping stone of sorts.”

Rhea:  “For me one of the big moments in football was when the WSL women’s teams could start playing in the men’s premier league stadiums. It meant that the WSL teams actually had stadiums they could call home, with proper facilities and supporters who could also enjoy their time and look forward to watching on a world stage. Watching Arsenal at the Emirates and Chelsea at Stamford Bridge was a massive deal for me as a fan”

Rebecca: “It would be great to see more women in roles at Virtus. They are doing great and have increased their employment of women by 100% since I have started! We could perhaps help by reaching out to our communities more. I think things like donating to women’s charities or volunteering to help in certain communities really help increase visibility for women in male-dominated fields. Maybe we could assist by donating construction related toys to a pre-school or charity, assist with construction at a women’s only space, volunteering to talk about the industry at a girls school or other similar opportunities.”

Asia: “I think representation and visibility is really important. I think its so good that we now see banners and posters having both the men’s and women’s fixtures, with images of the women’s players alongside the men. This means a whole new generation of children are seeing women in the game, which I do not remember being the case when I was a child.”

Rhea: “I think it all starts at grassroots football to inspire young girls. I think id like to see Dulwich work with organisations like Girls United and other grassroots youth organisations to boost diversity in the long run and give everyone opportunity to play.”

Rebecca: “I am still quite new to the industry but I would say to any woman or young girl considering it, just go for it! It doesn’t matter if you don’t see people like you somewhere. There will always have to be a first and it can be you.  Maybe in the future, the chance you took on yourself will be the reason a little girl says “I want to do that too and if she can do it, so can I!”

Lastly, can you describe how you think your industry has changed in previous years relating to gender equality OR can you describe your predictions for the next 10 years.

Rebecca: Looking to the future – “We see that the percentage of women that make up the construction workforce is only around 15%. I would predict this to rise to at least 25% if we continue the great progress we’ve been seeing. For example, I saw a statistic saying that around 30-40% of the newly employed construction workforce are women. This gives me a lot of hope!”

Asia: “I do think there have been good strides for equality in recent years, like the gender pay gap reporting and generally seeing more diversity and inclusion topics included in the workplace. I would like to predict that we keep on this positive trajectory, but I know that not everyone is as fortunate as us here at Dulwich. Some clubs and stadiums still do not really cater for everyone as much as they should do.”

Rhea:  “Thinking about how things might change in the next few years, I’d like to talk about Brighton as an example. Lead by their chairman Paul Barber, they are building a stadium that’s purpose built for the women’s team and their supporters. We might not think about it, but stadiums today have all been designed with the men’s team in mind only. Simple things such as setting up gym facilities with suitable weights and sized machines, and providing food kiosks that supporters actually want, are all things that can bring the women’s game up to the same level as the men’s. I hope that this research backed initiative leads the way and that in 10 years, this will be the norm, with everybody catered for equally.

To Conclude

We can take some clear and positive themes from today’s interview. It is apparent that progress towards inclusion in the workplace is recognised, and underrepresented groups are feeling a shift towards a real safe, happy and fun environment for all.
We know that diversity brings fresh perspectives, innovative ideas, and creative solutions that benefit both industries and the communities they serve. As we celebrate International Women’s Day 2025, we also look to the future and commit ourselves to a continued focus on equal opportunities, diversity, and creating a space where everyone can thrive.

At Virtus we will be publishing our updated Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policy later this year, alongside specific ‘Employee Empowerment Targets’ which we will be committed to. We are proud to have the backing of our newly appointed Head of ESG, in collaboration with Dulwich Hamlet FC’s Diversity and Inclusion officer Danny Mills – who has been instrumental in shaping a meaningful policy for us. Watch this space.

To all the women in construction, football and beyond: We celebrate you today and every day. Here’s to breaking barriers, defying expectations, and building a stronger, more inclusive future!