International Women’s Day 2012: where are the female estate agents?

Only a quarter of estate agents across the UK are women, according to a new survey from the National Association of Estate Agents for International Women’s Day.

While some regions buck the trend – nearly two thirds of Cardiff’s estate agents are women – there is still a huge disparity nationwide. In London, just 18 per cent of agents are female. Wendy Evans-Scott (pictured left), President of the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA), said: “These figures are disappointing, but unsurprising. Anyone who works in the property industry will testify that the gender balance has only recently started to change.

“Women obviously make up a big part of our customer base and most likely women are the ultimate decision-makers when it comes to purchasing a home. There is a lot to be said for having a balanced agency in terms of male and female agents and many organisations are waking up to this fact. Others still have a long way to go.  It makes sense to meet the needs of our customers and have both male and female agents in a branch; this brings a balance of skills and personalities to the table and can offer different empathies within our diversity of clients.”

The Board representing the NAEA is 38 per cent female, a figure well above the Government’s 25 per cent goal for other UK businesses.

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• William Wallace

  They are obviously a protected species. Why do they all dress like penguins? Black, black and just a pithkin of white.. A female estate agents convention must look like a gaggle of vicars on a day trip to the Falklands.

• http://oatc.livejournal.com/ oatc

  Given what estate agents did for the economy, and the prospects of most young women, I would far rather there were no women estate agents. Nor male ones either. Lying, greasy, irresponsible, money-grubbing scumbags the lot. So there.

• Guest

  It’s fascinating the way feminist women or their supporters make their case with scant regard for impartial analysis.

  For example we seemingly have a “complaint” put here supposedly on behalf of women, that there are only 25% of women estate agents, but there’s no corresponding complaints from men, that despite there being only 25% women in their profession, there are 38% of women on the Board of the National Association of Estate Agents, and thus women on the Board are significantly *over-represented.*

  Likewise there are few complaints from feminist women or their supporters in that women are massively *under-represented* in various unpleasant, dangerous or dirty occupations, like being a bus/coach/lorry driver, a shipmate, a refuse collector, a front line soldier, or an oil rig worker.

  So the thinking would seem to be that we have to somehow prioritise the pleasant, well-paid, “plum jobs” for women, like being estate agents, TV presenters or other highly qualified professionals, but leave the dirty, dangerous and unpleasant and lower paid jobs to men.

  If that is how things are, and how the public wants them, then it’s their democratic right to choose that. Not that I think the nation’s nearly 50% men have ever been consulted on it.

  But surely nobody can call it “equality.”

  And when the nice looking lady estate agent says: “most likely women are the ultimate decision-makers when it comes to purchasing a home”, that also doesn’t really suggest there is much equality going on, apparently even homes are being bought according to women’s desires and likings, not men’s.

  Another aspect of this issue of “International Women’s Day” is, that it seems to be being assumed in this article and elsewhere that the cause of women is best served by giving women more jobs.

  But maybe not all women *want* jobs – especially those with young children.

  The cause of many “international women” might be therefore better served by seeing to it that there are more opportunities for men, as well as for women, so that such men can support such women who don’t want to work, but wish to devote themselves to taking care of their husbands/partners and their children full-time.

  I think personally it’s time we put *children’s needs* at the top of our agenda, rather than the selfish ambitions of either women or men.
   

• TedMuller

  Where are the male child minders and nursery teachers?