Commercial property industry needs to address gender pay gap, says surveyor

Suzannah Adcock

A Nottingham property professional says that a gender pay gap exists in the industry – and it must be closed if the sector is to continue to attract the best talent.

Suzannah Adcock, surveyor at NG Chartered Surveyors, says “there is no doubt” about a gender pay gap in the commercial property industry, and that only around 15% of surveyors are female.

She added: “I can’t say that I have experienced a pay gap in my career so far. However, I do appreciate that there exists a pay gap in the younger age group working in the commercial property industry, while the greatest gender pay gap can be found in employees aged 46-55 as this is where there is the lowest number of women working within the property industry.”

Adcock says that yypically, the gender pay gap becomes most pronounced when women take a career break to have a family or when there is a desire to work flexibly to fit around family commitments.

She said: “There is no doubt that a woman can carry out the same role as men until this point, after which she may be pushed into a more junior role even though she is just as – and, in some cases – more than capable of carrying out a senior role in the company.

“My advice to any women who feel they are being held back by their gender would be to address the issue with their employer. Progress needs to be made to make it easier for women to continue with their career and have a family, and companies need to create a more flexible working environment to boost retention and productivity.

“I’m lucky – NG have been very supportive since I started with the firm. When I moved from my previous firm my main aim was to become Chartered and I have been provided with a huge amount of support to enable me to feel that I am ready to sit in the Autumn again.

But this needs to be a wider trend, as the property industry doesn’t have enough women working in it. While I have seen the percentage of women increase in the younger age group since I started working in the industry, there is still a lower number of women working in the industry that are 40- plus. As we celebrate International Women’s Day, let’s make sure females of all ages have a chance to shape the commercial property sector of tomorrow.”

Click here to sign up to receive our new South West business news...
Close