This comes as a survey conducted by Atkins, found that nine out of ten adults in Britain think more women should be involved in building our towns and cities.

Currently there is a chronic skills shortage for jobs in the built environment yet the number of challenging infrastructure and developments are at an all time high, therefore Atkins want the sector to become more accessible to the broadest possible pool talent, outside the traditional white, male stereotype.
 
The research by Atkins shows that the general public think buildings would be more user-friendly, practical and better places to live and work if more women were involved in their design and construction. Yet, one-third of women are put off a career in the industry because they believe it is dominated by men. This figure rises to half, among recent graduates.

As well as the perceived domination from men, women had other negative preconceptions about the construction industry, with almost one in five who believe there is an unequal pay structure. Over a third also claimed they do not know enough about the industry, with just eight per cent of all women saying they would currently consider a career in this field.

However, if more females were working in these sectors, 51 per cent of all women said they would consider a career in these areas. This rises to 56 per cent among recent graduates and middle managers.

Valerie Evans, director, design and engineering services, Atkins, said: "Having more inspirational female role models, addressing preconceptions and getting into schools at an early age to show children what working in these jobs is really like lie at the heart of addressing this issue.

"It is up to those of us in the business to challenge these preconceptions and encourage more women into the workforce. This is a great industry, with huge opportunity and we must ensure women are part of it."