WISH Annual survey highlights ongoing gender gap for women in social housing

More than half of women working in the social housing sector still feel they need to work harder than men to achieve the same opportunities, according to WISH's Annual industry survey.

Women in Social Housing (WISH) has released the findings of its latest annual survey, highlighting both progress and continuing challenges for women working across the housing sector.

WISH provides networking and support for women in the affordable housing sector, surveyed professionals from housing associations, local authorities and the wider industry to better understand women’s experiences at work and the barriers they may face in progressing their careers.

While this year’s results suggest some positive changes in attitudes, it still found that 52% of women feel they have to work harder than men to access the same opportunities - that number has fallen from 60% in 2024.

57% of respondents still say their voice or opinion has been overlooked because of their gender, indicating that gender bias remains a persistent issue across the sector.

Women also continue to witness everyday workplace behaviours that can undermine their contributions. 72% of respondents reported seeing women interrupted or talked over in meetings, while 53% said they had seen a woman’s idea dismissed only to be recognised later when repeated by a male colleague.

Encouragingly, the number of respondents who believe there are barriers preventing women from progressing in housing has fallen from 43% to 32%, suggesting that sector-wide conversations about gender equity are beginning to have an impact.

The survey also highlights the importance of leadership support. 60% of respondents said backing from executive teams and senior leaders has the most positive impact on women’s careers, reinforcing the critical role that organisational leadership plays in creating inclusive workplace cultures.

Jayne Entwistle, WISH's Managing Director, said:

“It is encouraging to see signs of progress in this year’s survey, with fewer women feeling they must work harder than their male counterparts to achieve the same opportunities. However, the results also remind us that there is still much more to do to ensure women’s voices are heard and valued across our sector.

“The housing sector has made important strides in recognising the need for equity and inclusive leadership. But real change requires sustained commitment from organisations and leaders to challenge bias, support women’s progression and ensure talent is recognised regardless of gender.”

The findings also show strong engagement with WISH and its mission to support women across the housing sector. Over half of respondents said they had attended at least one WISH event, and many highlighted leadership, career development and confidence building as key topics they would like to see covered in future programmes.

Looking ahead, WISH will continue to champion women’s voices through its programmes and initiatives across the UK, including through WISH President Crystal Hicks' See Her campaign.

The campaign aims to decrease the gender data gap, increase the visibility of women in housing and highlight the diverse leadership talent across the sector. By celebrating women’s achievements and encouraging others to step forward as leaders, the work seeks to inspire the next generation of women shaping the future of housing.

The WISH network focuses on bringing women together to share experiences and gain opportunities across the workplace, and welcomes a diversity of professionals to its events and programmes.

“We encourage women of all demographics, as well as our male allies, to join our network and take advantage of WISH’s membership benefits.”

Recently, it was highlighted that an image used in some WISH materials had been digitally altered in a way that we had not intended. In an effort to make the image usable across all our media platforms, it had been resized and sharpened using AI-based tools. Regrettably, in doing so, the technology altered aspects of the image in ways we neither intended nor anticipated. Our intention was limited to making minor technical adjustments so the image could be used appropriately; there was no intention to change anyone’s physical features or representation. The outcome does not reflect our values as an organisation. We have removed the altered image from our communications and are strengthening our internal guidance so that our approach to image use, consent, and AI is clearer and more robust going forward. We apologise and are grateful to those who raised this with us — and extend a thank you to the women in this photograph, whose presence, experience, and authenticity matter exactly as they are. The full apology statement can be found here.