Conservation, environmental jobs lead growth in self-employed women

Research by money.co.uk has revealed the sectors that have seen the biggest increase in females working for themselves in the past three years. 

Conservation and environmental jobs have seen the largest rise, with a 420% surge in self-employed women. In 2021, there were just 500 females registered as sole traders or limited companies in this area, rising to 2,600 over the following 12 months. 

Although the second most significant growth area was cleaning and housekeeping managers and supervisors, the study also found CAD, drawing and architectural technicians saw significantly more women begin self-employment than most other fields. These jobs are often directly linked to goals including nature preservation and restoration, carbon neutrality, net zero and climate resilience. Managers and proprietors in health and care services, elementary sales occupations, and veterinarians round out the top five. 

Other fields relevant to environmental work include science, engineering and production technicians, where a 100% increase in the number of self-employed women was identified. Meanwhile, construction and building trades – another historically male-dominated sector – recorded a 64.7% rise in females working for themselves. According to the analysis, women-led companies have average assets of $128billion, far more than those led by men, which average at $55billion in assets. 

However, when looking at data on the specific roles and industries, the picture changes. Metal plate workers, smiths, moulders and related occupations saw the biggest number of new self-employed women join the workforce, with 100% increase. Upholsterers (95.7%), painters and decorators (94.9%) , driving instructors (90.8%) and farmers (90.3%) also made the top five. Building and fishing trades, B&B and guest house owners and proprietors, agriculture and related trades, agriculture and related services, and textiles and garment trade were the top five sectors. 

More on the environmental and climate economies:

The future of carbon-neutral buildings: Trends and predictions

UK Government open call for energy and utility Smart Data innovators

Nature Tech report flags investment potential of biodiversity innovation