Slow but steady progress is being made towards gender parity in the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI), according to figures released by the body. Of its 6,600 members, about 1,500 identify as female, a percentage of 23 per cent.
While that’s far from being a groundbreaking proportion of the society’s overall membership, it represents a healthy 50 per cent increase on the number of female members registered in 2018, when 18 per cent, or 997 of the society’s then 5,540 members, identified as female.
Female participation continues to be higher on the property side, at more than 30 per cent, but lower on the construction side, says a society spokesman.
SCSI chief executive Shirley Coulter highlights the body’s Elevate mentorship programme as a positive step towards achieving its gender-diversity objective. Since the programme began in 2021, 180 women, both mentors and mentees, have taken part.
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To mark International Women’s Day (IWD), the SCSI, which says it is “committed to increasing diversity across the surveying profession”, is holding a members’ lunch on Thursday, March 6th, to mark the day and celebrate women in surveying.
Entrepreneur and advocate Alison Cowzer – who some may also know as an investor on the Irish version of Dragons’ Den – will be interviewed as part of the event, broaching topics such as brand-building, investing in oneself and career planning.
Other panel members for the “hybrid event” – meaning members can join in person at the SCSI’s Merrion Square offices or by video – will include Wicklow-based estate agent Anya Llewellyn and Marian Walsh from construction consultants Carron and Walsh.
For more information or to sign up for the free event visit scsi.ie
