International Women's Day with Brymec

International Women’s Day has been marked globally, on 8th March, for over a century. It began in the early 1900s as part of a global movement for women’s rights; rooted in campaigns for fair pay, better working conditions and the right to vote. Over time, it has become a worldwide moment of reflection and action. A day to recognise progress, acknowledge inequality where it still exists, and reaffirm a simple principle: opportunity should never be limited by gender.

In industries like construction, that principle has not always been a given.

For decades, construction was written about and built by men. The history books rarely mentioned the women who contributed behind the scenes, fought for access to apprenticeships, or challenged the assumption that site boots and leadership meetings weren’t meant for them. And yet, they were there. Women like Dorothy Donaldson Buchanan, who in 1927 became the first woman admitted to the Institution of Civil Engineers, helped lay the groundwork (quite literally) for change. At a time when construction sites, infrastructure projects and engineering institutions were overwhelmingly male, she built a respected career in infrastructure and helped formalise women’s place within the UK industry.

Fast forward to today, the industry tells a different story. The numbers are shifting. More women are entering construction roles, more are taking up apprenticeships, and more are stepping into leadership positions across the UK.

Progress hasn’t happened by accident. It has been built by people – men and women – working side by side to open the doors that once felt firmly closed.

To understand what that progress looks like in practice, we sat down with Ellie Wyatt-O’Reilly, Anna Hunt, Malaika Alam and Rebecca Mahon to hear about their journeys in the industry and with Brymec so far. There are no scripts and no rehearsed answers, just honest reflections on what it’s like to build a career in a sector that is evolving in real time.

What stands out in these conversations is that this isn’t a story about competition. It’s not about men versus women. It’s about standards rising because diversity of thought, experience, and leadership makes the industry stronger. Its about talented people being trusted on site, in meetings, in boardrooms, and everywhere in between.

International Women’s Day exists to remind us how far we’ve come. But it also asks what comes next. From pioneers like Dorothy Buchanan to the women contributing across sites, offices and boardrooms today, the industry continues to evolve; not through division, but because it recognises that diverse perspectives strengthen delivery, leadership and outcomes.

International Women’s Day gives us a moment to recognise that journey, and then to keep building steadily, collectively, and over time. It is not about comparison, it’s about recognition. Because there was a time this video couldn’t have been made.

Now it can.