Women actively avoid careers perceived as ‘men only’

First Bus female bus engineers

A quarter of women have actively avoided careers because they are perceived as ‘men only’, including construction, bus driving and politics, a study has found.

Researchers, who polled 2,000 employed people, found around one fifth of females are stuck in a career they don't enjoy, and just one in 10 have managed to get the job they’d always hoped for.

A third believe they have missed out on roles because of their gender and 32 per cent feel they have been passed over for promotions for the same reason.

Further to this, 67 per cent still believe it is easier for men to be successful in the world of work than it is for women.

Commissioned by First Bus, the research found around half of all those polled believe businesses are more likely to have continued success if there is an even split of genders.

Three quarters of everyone surveyed believe there is still a perception among the public that there are careers only men can do.

Sue Whaley, HR Director for First Bus, said: “There’s no escaping the fact that men outnumber women in the bus driving world, but more and more women are proving it’s a job they’re great at and that bus driving is a career that suits them.

“We want to raise awareness of the fact that there are no barriers preventing women from working within the bus industry and that there is more to a bus driver, than just driving a bus.

“We’re working hard to change the stereotypes and to encourage more people to consider a career within the bus industry and we’re doing everything we can to encourage women into the roles we offer.”