From beauty therapist to laying tarmac

Shauna Doyle used to be a beauty therapist but now she has a very different job, working for her family business laying tarmac.

“When I was pregnant with my little boy, I was working in the UK as a beauty therapist,” Ms Doyle said.

“During my maternity leave, I moved back home to Ireland, but I had no job.”

“Our family business was starting to get a lot busier, so I asked for a job. The agreement was that I had to start at the bottom and work my way up so that I would understand the business inside out.”

The Carlow native said the job is very physical, lifting bricks and slabs and using heavy machinery, but she has developed skills in all aspects of the work from her eight years in the job, which includes paving, roads, and drainage.

‘The ultimate girly girl’

Ms Doyle said that when she first made her career change, her friends and family thought she was mad.

“They couldn’t understand it at all, because I’m the ultimate girly girl, and always have been.”

“But since then, they could see that I absolutely love the job and support me 100%.”

Ms Doyle documents her life under the ‘tarmacing mammy’ moniker on Instagram and TikTok, and makes a point of collecting her daughter from school in her work gear to show the girls that they can do it too.

“If any women are thinking about making a change to construction, I would say go for it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. You might love it or hate but if you don’t try, you’ll never know.”

Women in construction conference

Shauna Doyle will join more than 650 women who work construction for a major conference in Co Meath today.

The Construction Industry Federation’s International Women’s Day Summit urges women to consider a career in construction on the eve of International Women’s Day tomorrow.

The event will bring together some of Ireland’s leading female construction experts from the country’s biggest construction companies to discuss infrastructure, safety on construction sites, careers in construction, sustainability, and financial security.

Also in attendance to find out about careers in construction will be forty girls who are part of STEM Passport for Inclusion, the initiative established by Dr Katriona O’Sullivan, academic and author of ‘Poor’.

According to the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) 176,000 people work in the construction sector but just 9% are women.

This statistic reduces to 1% for women working on building sites.

“To build a stronger, more diverse workforce, we must ensure construction-related subjects are accessible to girls at second level,” said Joanne Treacy, Southern Regional Director with the CIF.

“Without equal subject choices and career pathways, we are limiting the potential of future generations before they even reach third level,” Ms Treacy said.

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless said that events like today’s conference are a fantastic opportunity for everyone in the industry to share their stories, ideas and experiences, while also taking a moment to reflect on where it might make improvements.

“We need to ensure these stories reach women of all ages so they know about the varied and sustainable careers now available, careers which will help dispel the myth that construction is just muddy boots in a field,” Mr Lawless said.