Grace Graham, 25, a project manager at a construction company, has hit back at claims that she got her job through 'pretty privilege', insisting her success is down to hard work. She says men have assumed she relied on her looks to progress in the industry.
Graham, from Middlesbrough, North Yorks., was promoted to project manager in August 2025 after starting in the industry eight years ago. She said she has 'grafted' to get to her position, but people often assume she has used 'pretty privilege' to aid her progression.
Experiences in the industry
In her career so far, the petite mum-of-one said men have been 'surprised' when she hosted important meetings, and she was once branded 'emotional' when simply being assertive. She admitted these comments come only from a minority of men, as the majority have been 'brilliant' in helping her build her career.
Graham said: "I would say you have to be thick-skinned. As much as you shouldn’t have to deal with it, we [women] know what we are and we know we can do this job properly. When you are a woman in construction, you need to have a bit more resilience and prove it to them by just getting on with your job. I love it [my career] but sometimes you’re just not taken very seriously as a woman."
She added: "90% of my team and everyone else I’ve come across [in this industry] is brilliant and I get on very well with them and I know I’m just as good at my job as any guy is. But throughout my career, I’ve had people say I can’t be a woman and manage a team of men."
Facing assumptions
Graham said she was called 'emotional' a few months ago while working with someone, and is often called 'bossy' and told she is trying to prove a point. She said: "I knew if I was a man I would have been called assertive."
She said: "As a woman, I feel you have to fight a lot more to be in those meeting rooms compared to men who can just walk in. Don’t get me wrong, many men have really helped me in my career, but it is sometimes a fight to get through and you’re not taken seriously."
She added: "Sometimes I think how I look plays a part. People assume it’s ‘pretty privilege’ and this really annoys me as they don’t realise how hard I’ve grafted to get where I am. People have also said to me I’ve only got my job due to the way I look. I think men do double take sometimes when I’m hosting a meeting or walk into a meeting room and question why I’m there."
Social media response and future plans
When glammed up at her local pub or on a night out, Graham said people are often 'gobsmacked' that she works in construction. She said: "When I’m not at work and I tell people I work in construction I’ve had people not believe me. I’ve had to show pictures before. When they ask what I do, it’s a total gobsmack and they don’t believe me."
She shared a TikTok clip about her career, which racked up more than 84,000 likes and 600 comments. Graham said: "On my TikTok the number of girls that messaged and commented with their own [construction] photos was amazing. Yeah, you’ve got a few lads going ‘oh god, what are they doing? Idiots. They wouldn’t know the right side of a hammer’, but they’re just proving themselves as to what they are. Most of the comments section was so positive and it was all of these women coming together."
Graham began her construction career aged 17 in admin at a housing company, then completed a degree apprenticeship and got her APM Project Manager Qualification and other credentials. In the next 18 months she hopes to be promoted to a senior project manager and one day wants to become an operational director.
She said: "I know that’ll happen [promotion], there’s no stopping me. I’d tell other girls to look into all of the different types of roles before jumping into something because construction is such a huge industry. For the girls leaving school I’d really advocate for an apprenticeship as there’s nothing better than learning on the job."
One fan wrote on social media: "When you said you were the boss, I had a fat grin on my face." Another said: "Kind of brilliant that we have women working in construction."
