Logan DeRuyter-Barnett and Jasmyn Smith created The GO Company in response to their experiences on job sites.(ABC News)
Australia is bracing for an imminent skills shortage as more workers leave the trades.
It is estimated an additional90,000 workersare needed by 2029 in order to meet national demand for new houses.
Despite this, one particular cohort is losing tradies faster than it can bring them in, according to industry experts.
And they are walking out — not over ability or aptitude — but toilets.
A lack of access to toilets or change rooms is one of the sector's biggest gender barriers, according to a 2019 report by non-profit Tradeswomen Australia.
At 17, Logan DeRuyter-Barnett experienced firsthand how the seemingly minor issue could derail confidence.
The Tasmanian sparky had been nearing the end of a job when she needed to use the toilet.
But, without her knowledge, the worksite's toilets had been moved to make way for landscaping.
Plumbers had not yet connected the site's toilets, the one work car was ages away, and the nearby school was shut down for the holidays.
No other arrangements had been made for Ms DeRuyter-Barnett — the only woman onsite.
There wasn't a chance to confide in anyone, she says.
It was an 'oh s***' moment.
Left without an alternative, she wet herself.
It was one of the lowest moments, she says.
After that, I started to not drink water at all onsite because I didn't know when the next toilet was.
It always played in the back of my mind.
That, in turn, led to non-stop headaches and migraines.
She also believes the anxiety around finding a toilet intensified irregular periods and spotting.
Now 26, Ms DeRuyter-Barnett looks back on the incident as one that almost made her quit the industry — but was, unfortunately, not unique.
Fellow tradie Jasmyn Smith can speak of her own similar experience.
If there are portable toilets, they often do not have running water or sanitary bins.
Sometimes they are overflowing, or simply closed off as storage by men.
Like Logan, that has meant Ms Smith has been forced to work in bloodied pants while she had her period, or else wad up toilet paper.
I felt pretty vulnerable, Ms Smith recalls.
And almost every other woman the pair has talked to has a similar story.
Toilets 'token' of gender barriers
The number of women in skilled trades persistently sits at roughly 3 to 4 per cent.
That is despite an 80 per cent increase in female apprentices since 2019, thanks in part to recruitment campaigns.
It isn't the old adage that women don't want to do trade work, Clea Smith, CEO of Tradeswomen Australia, says.
Women are putting their hand up.
It's that the workplaces aren't safe or supportive.
Inaccessible toilets — alongside limited female workwear or PPE (personal protective equipment) — are a token of the broader gender inequality in the industry, Clea Smith says.
It's easy to think about being onsite with no toilet … but the same types of barriers are occurring at every level of the system.
Another study, based onNSW women in construction, found 53 per cent experienced sexual harassment at work.
A further 71 per cent of women working for smaller businesses reported gender-based discrimination.
One of the tradies I spoke to [said] it's death by 1,000 cuts, Clea Smith says of the industry's cultural microaggressions.
Every day, I'm having to just ignore it or put up a wall towards low-level, inappropriate sexualised comments.
It wears you down and, at some point in time, your resilience isn't high enough and you just leave.
I wanted to leave the industry multiple times because thinking about the toilet was a priority over thinking about my job, Jasmyn Smith says.
Clea Smith also believes female apprentices under-report harassment for fear of repercussions.
It is something Jasmyn Smith knows well.
I would get a lot of messages from men I either worked with or on sites that were trying to be sexual, she said of her time as an apprentice.
It made me feel really uncomfortable, but because I was so young and trying to fit in I just sort of laughed it off.
Calling time on industry inequalities
As they watched another generation go through the same hurdles, Logan DeRuyter-Barnett and Jasmyn Smith decided enough was enough.
Their solution — the GO bag — is a durable, compact pack that can hold tampons, pads, liners, hand sanitiser, toilet seat covers, disposable bags and intimate wipes.
It is designed to meet whatever toilet situation a woman may face on the job.
It was also important to the pair to create something that was discreet — not a pink fluffy thing.
It's hard for young women to have that conversation with their bosses, so we want to take away that awkwardness to have to ask for something so simple, Ms Smith says.
You don't feel awkward asking for a bandaid, so why should you feel awkward asking for this?
The pair have been working with Tasmanian businesses to bring the bags onto job sites, as well as launch an online shop.
In person, they have been able to see how its creation has led to a conversation with male industry leaders.
Men have really taken it on … because [they] don't want to use disgusting toilets either, Ms Smith says.
It is one way women are calling time on industry inequalities.
The Electrical Trades Union's (ETU) Nowhere To Go campaign has also been highlighting the stark lack of toilets for women in the industry.
Gaynor Maree, the ETU's national affirmative action (women's) officer, says the disparity is ridiculous to see in 2026.
It's about people feeling included and like they belong, she says.
If facilities aren't provided and maintained to support all workers, workers will feel excluded, which always makes it harder to do the job.
Ms Maree is also a mentor lead in the union's Big Sister program — a program boosting retention through training and mentoring for women in the electro-technology and clean energy sectors in SA and WA.
She estimates Australia needs 42,500 more electricians by 2030 to meet the nation's energy needs.
And achieving that means fully embracing the other 50 per cent of the population.
It's just commonsense to have women in the electrical trades, and the trade and workplaces need to change for the better, she says.
The better a workplace is for women, the better it is for everyone.
What's next for the industry?
The role women play in the trades is no surprise to construction giant Multiplex.
It hires more than 1,500 Australian employees who work on large-scale projects, such as the Western Sydney International Airport.
It has programs that target girls in early childhood all the way up to mid-career tradeswomen.
In addition to that, we're also ensuring that with any grad intakes we bring in, that it's 50 per cent male, 50 per cent female to start building that pipeline of females from the early stages, Belinda Abbott, senior HR manager for Multiplex's NSW/ACT branches, says.
If the industry wants to improve, she says, it needs to listen and remove those everyday barriers.
Among Multiplex's first changes were adding sanitary items to toilets and providing PPE that fit pregnant workers.
These attraction and retention initiatives really only succeed, in my mind, when they're paired with a culture that is genuinely going to support women's success in the business, Ms Abbott says.
And that comes down to … flexible thinking and being willing to adapt and change, and that there's inclusive leadership from the top.
Retention for the company also means sponsorship programs and training that expands out to subcontractors.
Women are essential to the future of construction. We really need them to be able to fill our pipeline at work, Ms Abbott adds.
And, more importantly, they help drive the innovation and help us to create a culture where everyone can thrive and be productive.
Since they started their careers, Logan DeRuyter-Barnett and Jasmyn Smith say they have noticed a shift in attitudes.
But it is a gradual one.
I'm keen to see the next 10 years, Ms Smith says.
We've started, but I don't think we're close to accomplishing how good it can be, Ms DeRuyter-Barnett adds.
