Women bricklayers hit record numbers in Spain's construction industry
166,833 women were working in construction in Spain in 2025, the highest number registered since 2014. Even so, they make up only 9% of the sector.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Women bricklayers break records while the language debate stalls
Are there really more women in construction, or have we only changed the word? The Social Security data leaves little room for doubt: 166,833 women work in the sector, the highest level in eleven years and the highest percentage since 2014. Even so, they represent barely 9% of the total. Seen in perspective, the record sounds like a modest antiestéticat: the industry remains a male stronghold... until someone puts on the work overalls.
A 9% that smells like real change, not posturing
The figure has substance. Female employment in construction has been growing for years, but 2025 marks a milestone: women's registration reaches its highest percentage in more than a decade. Skepticism, however, creeps into the analysis. Some question the statistics, pointing out that many of these "bricklayers" hold administrative or technical positions within the sector's collective agreement, not necessarily hauling sacks on site. That doubt is legitimate, but it doesn't explain the sustained rise.
Margarita's story, reported by El Español, portrays the other side: "They think women can't lift 25 kilos, but you only have to watch a mother picking up her child." The quote condenses the prejudice and the physical answer to it.
The battle over language, or how to avoid talking about what matters
The curious thing about the record is that much of the conversation has revolved around the term "albañila" (the feminine form of bricklayer in Spanish) rather than the figures. It doesn't matter that the RAE, Spain's language academy, has spent years normalizing its use; the language is what makes the noise. Some see "albañil" as a correct neutral form; others, as resistance to change. While the trade argues, women keep entering construction sites. Not all of them, of course: 9% is not a wave, but it is a trickle that already has a name.
Spain, by the way, seems to be heading toward a point where women or other groups will fill the positions left vacant. But that's another conversation, one that doesn't fit in a dictionary.
Are there really more women in construction, or have we only changed the word? The Social Security data leaves little room for doubt: 166,833 women work in the sector, the highest level in eleven years and the highest percentage since 2014. Even so, they represent barely 9% of the total. Seen in perspective, the record sounds like a modest antiestéticat: the industry remains a male stronghold... until someone puts on the work overalls.
A 9% that smells like real change, not posturing
The figure has substance. Female employment in construction has been growing for years, but 2025 marks a milestone: women's registration reaches its highest percentage in more than a decade. Skepticism, however, creeps into the analysis. Some question the statistics, pointing out that many of these "bricklayers" hold administrative or technical positions within the sector's collective agreement, not necessarily hauling sacks on site. That doubt is legitimate, but it doesn't explain the sustained rise.
Margarita's story, reported by El Español, portrays the other side: "They think women can't lift 25 kilos, but you only have to watch a mother picking up her child." The quote condenses the prejudice and the physical answer to it.
The battle over language, or how to avoid talking about what matters
The curious thing about the record is that much of the conversation has revolved around the term "albañila" (the feminine form of bricklayer in Spanish) rather than the figures. It doesn't matter that the RAE, Spain's language academy, has spent years normalizing its use; the language is what makes the noise. Some see "albañil" as a correct neutral form; others, as resistance to change. While the trade argues, women keep entering construction sites. Not all of them, of course: 9% is not a wave, but it is a trickle that already has a name.
Spain, by the way, seems to be heading toward a point where women or other groups will fill the positions left vacant. But that's another conversation, one that doesn't fit in a dictionary.
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (26 replies).
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