diff --git a/libgringo/gringo/shared_mutex.hh b/libgringo/gringo/shared_mutex.hh
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8d7249a5c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libgringo/gringo/shared_mutex.hh
@@ -0,0 +1,135 @@
+#pragma once
+
+#if defined(_WIN32) || defined(_WIN64)
+#define GRINGO_PLATFORM_WINDOWS 1
+#else
+#define GRINGO_PLATFORM_WINDOWS 0
+#endif
+
+#if !GRINGO_PLATFORM_WINDOWS && (defined(__unix__) || defined(__APPLE__))
+#define GRINGO_PLATFORM_POSIX 1
+#else
+#define GRINGO_PLATFORM_POSIX 0
+#endif
+
+#include <cstdio>
+#include <cstdlib>
+#include <cstring>
+
+#if GRINGO_PLATFORM_WINDOWS
+#define WIN32_LEAN_AND_MEAN
+#define NOMINMAX
+#include <Windows.h>
+#elif GRINGO_PLATFORM_POSIX
+#include <pthread.h>
+#else
+#include <shared_mutex>
+#endif
+
+namespace Gringo {
+
+#if GRINGO_PLATFORM_POSIX
+namespace Detail {
+
+inline void check_pthread_call(char const *fun, int code) noexcept {
+    if (code != 0) {
+        std::fprintf(stderr, "fatal: %s failed: %s\n", fun, std::strerror(code));
+        std::abort();
+    }
+}
+
+} // namespace Detail
+#endif
+
+class SharedMutex {
+  public:
+    SharedMutex() noexcept {
+#if GRINGO_PLATFORM_WINDOWS
+        InitializeSRWLock(&srw_);
+#elif GRINGO_PLATFORM_POSIX
+        Detail::check_pthread_call("pthread_rwlock_init", pthread_rwlock_init(&rw_, nullptr));
+#endif
+    }
+
+    ~SharedMutex() noexcept {
+#if GRINGO_PLATFORM_POSIX
+        Detail::check_pthread_call("pthread_rwlock_destroy", pthread_rwlock_destroy(&rw_));
+#endif
+    }
+
+    SharedMutex(const SharedMutex &) = delete;
+    SharedMutex &operator=(const SharedMutex &) = delete;
+    SharedMutex(SharedMutex &&) = delete;
+    SharedMutex &operator=(SharedMutex &&) = delete;
+
+    void lock_shared() noexcept {
+#if GRINGO_PLATFORM_WINDOWS
+        AcquireSRWLockShared(&srw_);
+#elif GRINGO_PLATFORM_POSIX
+        Detail::check_pthread_call("pthread_rwlock_rdlock", pthread_rwlock_rdlock(&rw_));
+#else
+        mtx_.lock_shared();
+#endif
+    }
+
+    bool try_lock_shared() noexcept {
+#if GRINGO_PLATFORM_WINDOWS
+        return TryAcquireSRWLockShared(&srw_) != 0;
+#elif GRINGO_PLATFORM_POSIX
+        return pthread_rwlock_tryrdlock(&rw_) == 0;
+#else
+        return mtx_.try_lock_shared();
+#endif
+    }
+
+    void unlock_shared() noexcept {
+#if GRINGO_PLATFORM_WINDOWS
+        ReleaseSRWLockShared(&srw_);
+#elif GRINGO_PLATFORM_POSIX
+        Detail::check_pthread_call("pthread_rwlock_unlock", pthread_rwlock_unlock(&rw_));
+#else
+        mtx_.unlock_shared();
+#endif
+    }
+
+    void lock() noexcept {
+#if GRINGO_PLATFORM_WINDOWS
+        AcquireSRWLockExclusive(&srw_);
+#elif GRINGO_PLATFORM_POSIX
+        Detail::check_pthread_call("pthread_rwlock_wrlock", pthread_rwlock_wrlock(&rw_));
+#else
+        mtx_.lock();
+#endif
+    }
+
+    bool try_lock() noexcept {
+#if GRINGO_PLATFORM_WINDOWS
+        return TryAcquireSRWLockExclusive(&srw_) != 0;
+#elif GRINGO_PLATFORM_POSIX
+        return pthread_rwlock_trywrlock(&rw_) == 0;
+#else
+        return mtx_.try_lock();
+#endif
+    }
+
+    void unlock() noexcept {
+#if GRINGO_PLATFORM_WINDOWS
+        ReleaseSRWLockExclusive(&srw_);
+#elif GRINGO_PLATFORM_POSIX
+        Detail::check_pthread_call("pthread_rwlock_unlock", pthread_rwlock_unlock(&rw_));
+#else
+        mtx_.unlock();
+#endif
+    }
+
+  private:
+#if GRINGO_PLATFORM_WINDOWS
+    SRWLOCK srw_;
+#elif GRINGO_PLATFORM_POSIX
+    pthread_rwlock_t rw_;
+#else
+    std::shared_timed_mutex mtx_;
+#endif
+};
+
+} // namespace Gringo
diff --git a/libgringo/src/symbol.cc b/libgringo/src/symbol.cc
index 0da667d31..93337ab3d 100644
--- a/libgringo/src/symbol.cc
+++ b/libgringo/src/symbol.cc
@@ -25,9 +25,11 @@
 #include <algorithm>
 #include <cstring>
 #include <gringo/hash_set.hh>
+#include <gringo/shared_mutex.hh>
 #include <gringo/symbol.hh>
 #include <iterator>
 #include <mutex>
+#include <shared_mutex>
 
 #ifdef _MSC_VER
 #pragma warning(disable : 4200) // nonstandard extension used: zero-sized array in struct/union
@@ -82,24 +84,28 @@ template <class T> struct UniqueConstruct {
     using Set = hash_set<T, typename T::Hash, typename T::EqualTo>;
 
     template <class U> static T const &construct(U &&x) {
-        // TODO: in C++17 this can use a read/write lock to not block reading threads
         size_t hash = typename T::Hash{}(x);
-        std::lock_guard<std::mutex> g(mutex_);
-        auto it = set_.find(x, hash);
-        if (it != set_.end()) {
-            return *it;
+        {
+            auto lock = std::shared_lock<SharedMutex>{mutex_};
+            auto it = set_.find(x, hash);
+            if (it != set_.end()) {
+                return *it;
+            }
+        }
+        {
+            auto lock = std::unique_lock<SharedMutex>{mutex_};
+            return *set_.insert(T{std::forward<U>(x), hash}).first;
         }
-        return *set_.insert(T{std::forward<U>(x), hash}).first;
     }
 
   private:
-    static Set set_;          // NOLINT
-    static std::mutex mutex_; // NOLINT
+    static Set set_;           // NOLINT
+    static SharedMutex mutex_; // NOLINT
 };
 
 template <class T> typename UniqueConstruct<T>::Set UniqueConstruct<T>::set_; // NOLINT
 
-template <class T> typename std::mutex UniqueConstruct<T>::mutex_; // NOLINT
+template <class T> Gringo::SharedMutex UniqueConstruct<T>::mutex_; // NOLINT
 
 template <class T, class U> T const &construct_unique(U &&x) {
     return UniqueConstruct<T>::construct(std::forward<U>(x));