Unconscious bias in Property Development

So, where’s your husband, love?

This is a common question that women get asked when they are starting out in property development. It’s not acceptable. But why does it happen? It’s still stereotypical of some men to automatically assume that there must be a man lurking in the background who’s the real property developer.

Do they realise they are discriminating against women with this question? To be fair, I’m sure most men would be mortified if they really thought about the impact that one question like this could have on a woman, and the realisation that they are partaking in a form of discrimination.

This question was asked at a property course that I attended recently. The recipient is a successful person in her own right and wants to do something for herself, without her husband in tow! She is a strong person and can easily brush this type of comment off but it’ll have a different impact on different people.

So let’s educate each other! I’ve seen this question make women work twice as hard to achieve something (which is common in all industries I might add), but for some it can be intimidating to be in a room full of men, let alone with that question thrown at them.

Well let me tell you ladies, there is a place for everyone and most of the time gender is never a question, let alone a discussion. You are strong, and when you surround yourself with the right people you too can succeed in your own right! And for the men reading, I hope you can be an ally for this important message to all women.

Today, women represent around 20% of people in the property industry. This has been increasing in recent years, which is great but I think we should all be doing more to make property development inclusive and accessible for everyone, whatever your gender or non-gender. Sometimes all we need is a little encouragement, knowhow and a safe place to help us get on track.

Women have loads to offer this industry and I think we only really touch the surface today. We bring a different set of skills, for example women historically have been labelled “the housewife” but have emerged now with great multi-tasking skills and tenacity to get things done! There are highly skilled female labourers, developers, investors, surveyors, mortgage brokers, agents, landlords, etc.

Let’s use International Women’s Day to raise awareness of inequality, strive for equity, and reduce the conscious and unconscious gender bias that exists in our industry!

And for the month of March, we’ll be running a competition to celebrate International Women’s Day and encourage wives, mothers, daughters and sisters to take the plunge into property developments with free Pro access to some amazing features for 1 whole year (worth more than £1k), and MyPDA CEO Claire will be throwing in a monthly call (priceless) to provide support to help you to get into property developments and start your own journey to financial freedom.

Register for your free trial before 31st March 2023 to enter the competition.