#11: Women in reno in France (and why visibility matters more than ever)
Episode 11, Season 1
Listen & Read
You can listen to this episode below, and read the companion blog with tips, checklists, and resources a little further down.
If you prefer using another podcast app, you can also find us on:
Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Amazon Music | Deezer | RSS.com
The blog
If you’ve ever asked a renovation question in a Facebook group and immediately regretted it… you are not alone.
This episode was recorded with International Women’s Day in mind (8 March) and the theme this year, Give to Gain. What started as a conversation about women on the tools quickly became something bigger: how women are treated in online renovation spaces, who gets listened to, and why the behind the scenes work often gets dismissed.
For those new here, we are Sue, Rosie and Micala, and we all run trade related businesses here in France with our husbands. That usually means we are the ones juggling the admin, planning, client communication, quotes, logistics and project coordination behind the scenes.
So yes, this episode is about women in renovation. But it is also about women in the renovation world full stop: homeowners, project managers, designers, business partners and the often overlooked “wife behind the business” who is actually running a large part of it.
Here’s what we talked about.
Give to Gain: the value of a safe space
Micala opened the episode by thanking us and our producer, Katy, for something that sounds simple but is incredibly valuable.
For years we’ve had our own safe space away from social media. WhatsApp messages, voice notes and the occasional rant about things we see happening in the renovation world. Those conversations have often stopped us from posting something online that we might regret later.
That is the real meaning of Give to Gain.
You give support, perspective and honesty.
You gain clarity, reassurance and sometimes a much lower blood pressure.
Which leads to a bigger question.
Do women actually feel safe asking renovation questions online?
The honest answer is… sometimes yes, but often no.
The Facebook problem: same comment, different response
We’ve all seen it happen.
A woman comments something sensible and accurate, and the response is dismissive or flippant.
A man says almost the same thing, and suddenly the response becomes:
“Good point mate.”
It’s not always blatant. Sometimes it’s just tone. Sometimes it’s who gets taken seriously.
And over time it becomes tiring.
That is why many women (including us) have stepped back from certain groups. Not because we can’t handle opinions, but because there’s only so much time and energy we want to spend arguing with strangers on the internet.
The encouraging thing is that there does seem to be a slight shift happening. As people begin to recognise who we are and what we do, the tone does change.
But credibility should not depend on people “getting to know you” first.
Why more women in renovation will bring change
Rosie made a really good point during the discussion: more women in the industry will naturally change the tone of conversations.
Women tend to communicate differently. We ask questions, share experiences and are generally comfortable saying we do not know everything.
And that is actually a strength.
In an industry where there can sometimes be pressure to appear like you know absolutely everything, a more collaborative approach can only improve things.
None of us claim to know it all. What we do have is experience, perspective and access to the people doing the work on site every day.
We listen, we learn and then we share that information.
Women in construction in France: the reality
We looked at some statistics about women entering the construction industry in France.
Women represent roughly 12–15% of apprentices in construction overall.
In structural trades such as carpentry, masonry, roofing and electrical, that drops to around 3–5%.
However, women represent a much higher percentage in project management, design and business leadership roles.
So while there are fewer women physically on the tools, there are actually many women involved in running construction businesses.
That reflects our own situation as well. None of us are swinging hammers on site every day, but we are very much involved in running the companies.
Rosie also mentioned visiting a training centre in France while her son was doing his carpentry apprenticeship and seeing girls working in several trade departments including painting, decorating and masonry.
So things are changing, even if slowly.
A brilliant example close to home
Rosie also shared a great example from her village.
A neighbour had their stone wall completely repointed, and the work was done by two women. They set up their own scaffolding, completed the job quickly and left everything incredibly tidy.
Anyone who has seen repointing work will know how messy it can be, so the attention to detail stood out immediately. The work was excellent and the finish immaculate.
Rosie’s partner, Jon’s response was simple: “Keep their number.”
Because at the end of the day, good work is good work.
Is construction male dominated because it’s physical?
We also played devil’s advocate for a moment.
Yes, construction can be physically demanding. There’s no denying that many men are physically stronger than most women.
But we also live in a time where:
lifting equipment exists
machinery reduces strain
modern tools make heavy work easier
So why is the industry still so male dominated?
Part of the answer is cultural. Construction has long been tied to a very traditional idea of masculinity: strength, endurance and physical capability.
On many sites, strength is still part of the identity. The strongest person lifting the heaviest beam often gets the respect.
But ironically, we also know many tradesmen with damaged knees, backs and shoulders from years of doing exactly that.
Technology exists to reduce those risks, but habits and culture are slower to change.
The invisible women behind the business
This part of the conversation really struck a chord.
There are many construction businesses where the man is seen as the face of the company, but the woman is running the entire operation behind the scenes.
Quotes, scheduling, client communication, accounts, organisation and paperwork often fall to the female partner.
And yet those women can still be dismissed as “just the wife”.
Rosie mentioned training sessions that encouraged women not to remain indefinitely as conjointes collaboratrices (spouses assisting in a business without full professional status). Laws have changed over time because too many women were working for years without proper recognition or protection.
It is slowly improving, but there’s still progress to be made.
How we deal with online nonsense
We also talked honestly about how we handle unpleasant comments online.
Sometimes the best response is no response at all.
Sometimes we write the angry reply… then delete it.
Micala admitted she often writes what she wants to say and then asks ChatGPT to help turn it into a calmer, professional response.
Because whether we like it or not, our online comments become part of our reputation.
And we all have businesses to run.
Creating safer renovation spaces
We cannot change the whole industry overnight. But we can influence the spaces we are part of.
That means:
supporting other women when we see dismissive behaviour
sharing reliable information rather than arguing endlessly
recommending specialists rather than pretending to know everything
encouraging respectful conversations even when people disagree
The more supportive voices there are in the room, the less impact the negative ones have.
Got a story about women in renovation that you want to share? We’d love to hear it!
Email us: frenchrenodiaries@gmail.com
Send a voice note or written message via Facebook or Instagram
Leave a comment beneath an episode on Spotify
Your comments may be featured in a future episode!