www.chickswithbricks.com

[JedRambosteen]

"Chicks with Bricks is a proactive network that connects young women in the construction industry to their female peers ..."

I bring you this link courtesy of DH, who says "you couldn't make it up!" The logo on the website is all swirly pink font which wouldn't look out of place on a wedding invite. Way to miss your mark! Patronising shite, which is a shame as the concept is good.

It is a bit cringey isn't it! (Mind you, working in STEM, I wouldn't be surprised if it had been done totally tongue-in-cheek by a female engineer - I can see a few I know thinking that would be hilarious).

The female construction industry professional who told DH about this campaign was incredulous and appalled, if that helps with context.

I agee, Jed, I'd be appalled if someone did something similar for physics (my field) - and as you say, the really sad thing is it looks like a really great initiative, pinkified logo aside.

It's really interesting to reflect on what works and what doesn't work. For me the two massive issues in STEM are getting women into it in the first place, then keeping them there/helping them to progress when they have families.

I know some of my female colleagues have some really good initiatives going in our workplace - things like having a standard boilerplate for job aps which says "applications to do this post part time will be welcomed" as default, only to be changed if there is a genuine business reason why that post cannot be done part time.

The other end of things I still despair about. I found myself picking my DS (then year 3 so age 8) up from an educational enrichment course at the local university's teacher training college. They were running a maths course and a science course, with invitations to local primary schools (not sure of the selection process - DS's school seems to pick kids pretty much at random, ensuring that they all get a go at something through the year, but I don't think there's any instructions to schools as to how it should be done). I happened to arrive to pick DS up at the same time as a female friend (maths PhD) and a female colleague (chemistry PhD) and we watched with great sadness as two groups of 30 kids emerged from the two courses, each with only about 4 or 5 girls on them. What went wrong, and where? Did the majority of schools only put boys forwards? Did the schools offer stuff evenly, but for the most part only the parents of boys took it up? Were some of the schools suffering from some sort of unconscious bias in the selection process ("we'll pick the kids we think will enjoy this most, and naturally [err herm] only the boy will be the ones who'll enjoy this...") or quite what was going on?

The founder of Chicks with Bricks is a female architect, Holly Porter.

More's the pity. I know it's not as racy, but something like 'Women's Construction Network' would at least have respected women's professionalism and not put them in the dolly bird category. It's a no from me.

It's going to alienate a large part of the core audience, isn't it? It may well be a joke, but at a glance it just looks like the usual shit that signals that something is suitable for girls.

Yes, I am sure it is a play on chicks with dicks & was meant to be a bit tongue in cheek, but it trivialises women when women in male dominated industries have to fight to be taken seriously. Ugh.

is this some sort of porn site?

Or is it from Dr Seuss' Fox in Socks - "chicks with bricks come, chicks with blocks come..." I think it goes - maybe I am overthinking it

The woman I know who is an architect plays rugby and is the least 'pinkified' woman I know. I'm sure she will love this!!

It's been around since 2005 and from its website seems to be succesful in attracting support.