We've certainly come a long way from the days when it was thought that the only people who had need for small business van insurance were "white van men".

Yes, according to a study of 10,000 tradespeople carried out by IronmongeryDirect, there are now more women represented among the typical small business van insurance policyholder demographic than ever before, accounting for 5.7% of all those working in trades.

"It's... interesting to see that women now represent a significant, if still small, proportion of the sector. The emergence of White Van Women could be a major trend as the economy continues to grow," said Wayne Lysaght-Mason, managing director with the firm.

"Good tradespeople are highly prized and an influx of women into the trades would help meet growing demand, for example in the housing sector, as well as providing a great career for women looking to grow their own business."

However, the same study also found that the numbers of migrant worker tradespeople was down, from the 8% reported by the Health and Safety Executive in 2010 to a mere 4.6%.

We here at iVan think it's great to know that there are an increased number of women plumbers, plasterers, and decorators, but we've actually known that for some time, maybe it's because we read Women in Trade.