Diversity on any sports team is encouraged, fostered and in many cases crucial to the success of the team. Without a strong opening batsman, a lightning-fast bowler and a reliable wicket keeper, a cricket team will never excel. The same can be said for the property industry. If you imagine a table of 10 people all with the same gender, ethnicity and sexuality, then their ideas and perspectives would be very similar. If, on the other hand, we were to have a diverse range of people from varied backgrounds, then they are more likely to have new and different views. Without diversity, we cannot hope to achieve innovation and creativity in the delivery of our future homes and workplaces. Within the sector, it is clear we have not yet grasped the need for all aspects of diversity. More attention is being paid to women in construction, thanks to organisations such as Connecting Women, a networking organisation for women and BeOnsite, a charitable organisation for the disadvantaged established by Lend Lease, which is working to overcome barriers to the employment of women in the sector. Women represent only 11% of the construction workforce in the UK. Lend Lease's rate is higher, but there is still more work to be done.
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