New research, commissioned by DIG VR, reveals more than half (58%) of women admit they don’t have any understanding of the construction industry, and two thirds (66%) think there should be more education on this within schools.
From the new research, half of women (50%) reveal they have been subjected to wolf whistling and ogling from a construction site, bringing attention to further education and providing positive experiences to encourage a change in culture and gender disparity of women in the construction industry.
With companies such as Women into Construction (WiC) who ceased trading on 15th August 2024 after changing the face of construction, to ensure the legacy of WiC continues, video game publisher Wired Productions and award-winning developer Just Add Water have created an authentic and immersive light-simulation VR excavator game with realistic controls for the Meta Quest VR headset, DIG VR.
By leveraging the power of virtual reality, the realistic controls and maneuverability in the game can be used as an introduction and tool to create a love of excavating, encouraging, and inspiring a younger and diverse generation including men and women in a realistic yet fun, safe and cost-effective entry to the construction industry, despite the perception and experiences overshadowing it.
From the survey, half of women who revealed that they’ve experienced being wolf whistled and ogled at, wolf whistling makes 27% of women feel awkward and nearly a quarter (23%) feel or would feel uncomfortable if this happened to them.
Perhaps consequently, 1 in 10 (12%) women would prefer a woman to lead on a project/do work in their home.
Over half (53%) of women would trust a female worker more in their home (vs 31% who said men), and 48% would feel more comfortable with them around their children (vs 42% who said men.)
Of those who said they would prefer a woman to work in their house, over a third (34%) say it’s because they would do a better job.
By contrast, 1 in 5 (21%) men would prefer a man to do work in their home – with almost half (49%) believing they would do a better job than a woman.
Over a third (34%) of men believe it would be easier to source a man for the job.
There have been over 20 million Meta Quest headsets sold globally and the market allows for a great number of people to try their hand at operating an excavator from the comfort of their home.
DIG VR is launching for Meta Quest on 14th November 2024. Pre-order now with a 25% discount.
