Many girls are put off working in the construction industry due to biased careers advice, a survey suggests.
The poll by the construction sector skills council ConstructionSkills found 70% of girls felt discouraged from entering male-dominated industries.
In the survey of 2,400 girls between the ages of 11 and 18, 42% thought the options presented to them were limited on the basis of their gender.
The council is launching a campaign to promote opportunities in construction.
Almost two thirds of girls questioned (62%) said they would be happy to work in male-dominated industries but felt they did not get the advice and information they needed.
More than one third also said they would be "happy to prove themselves against men".
And 31% of respondents said they had been discouraged from studying certain subjects at school simply because they were girls.
The Careers Research Advice Centre was unavailable for comment.
Aspirations
ConstructionSkills, the sector skills council for the industry, is launching a television advertising campaign to highlight the 88,000 jobs it says are on offer in construction.
It says careers advisers should ensure they are up to date about the types of roles available in the industry and make sure they portray it accurately.
Paul Sykes, recruitment manager for ConstructionSkills, said all the evidence suggested girls were interested in pursuing careers in construction, but careers advice had not kept up with the modern industry or the aspirations of the girls themselves.
"As an industry we are taking the step of getting directly to young women to show them the range of amazing jobs on offer."
He said the sector skills council was working with careers advisers to expand their knowledge of careers in construction and encourage them to re-think their attitudes to the industry.
The television campaign will highlight the variety of roles available, including town planners, civil engineers and stonemasons, and will be presented by youth television presenter June Sarpong.
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