Women in the building industry

In the past, many people passed on higher education in order to take a job in the construction industry. Today, top-ranking schools, such as Columbia University, are placing more emphasis on construction-related career paths by offering coursework and graduate studies in construction administration, construction engineering and construction management. That means a more diverse group of people – including women — are getting exposed to the construction industry and pursuing a college degree so they can obtain a good job.
In addition to increased educational opportunities, women are attracted by the job security offered by the construction industry; the need for construction managers is projected to grow steadily into 2024.
The construction industry also offers women the opportunity to become entrepreneurs. According to statistics from the National Association of Women in Construction, from 1997 to 2002 there was a 20% growth rate among the number of all women-owned construction firms, with a 67% growth rate for the same years among women-owned construction firms without employees. Although one of the industries with the lowest concentration of female-owned businesses, today 7% of all construction companies are owned by women.
Women are valuable employees in the construction industry. They have the intelligence, mettle, resolve and work ethic the industry needs. Whether women are doing labor intensive jobs or leading firms, they are raising the bar and changing the game just as much as their male counterparts.
CLC works with skilled craftsmen – men and women – to match them with the perfect job opportunity in the construction industry. Whether you need to find a job or staff a construction project, we can help.
Advantages of having women in the building industry
In 2017, there is no good reason, and no good excuses, not to have a representative workforce.
The reasons to employ women in construction, and particularly in planning, are numerous and cannot be argued with. Having more women in the workforce benefits not only the industry, but society as a whole.
The first and most obvious reason is gender equality and promoting equal rights. Women being viewed, and therefore being employed, as equal, should be argument enough in itself. Even if achieving gender equality in the industry only benefited the women who gained recognition and employment, it would still be worthwhile.
Moreover, we only have to look to the recent BBC pay scandal to see how negatively inequality is received – in the simplest terms, sexism is bad press. There is no need to put the reputation of an industry at risk, particularly as hiring more women can only have a positive impact.
The importance of representation is now widely recognised across many industries, with women-led film and TV seeing huge successes, and calls for more women in the highest levels of business and government. This should be no different for the construction industry; the more women who are visible and successful in the industry, the more women who can also see themselves thriving in the industry.
Given that the construction and development industry is in desperate need of recruitment, with approximately 20% of the workforce nearing the age of retirement, having a larger pool of people to recruit from is essential.
Making women feel welcome in the workplace could increase the recruitment pool massively.
On top of this, many women cite workplace sexism as a reason for not wishing to pursue a career in the industry. This is true for every level and sector, from those in manual trades to female architects and engineers.
A greater number of women in the workforce means more accountability and more general consciousness about discrimination and inequality, which makes the industry more attractive not only to women, but to other individuals from groups that traditionally face social exclusion. More diversity means more diversity of thought, which is essential for every sector of the industry, but especially planning.
Many have asked the question about what a city designed by a woman would look like. This isn’t a matter of different shapes or colors – it’s about infrastructure that is designed for those who are not able-bodied, adult men in full-time employment.
Current cities are designed around a separation of work or office space and home as completely separate. Concerns regarding childcare, location of schools, and outlets are, by design, of secondary importance.
The construction industry itself can also benefit from having more female construction workers. As development and demand for housing increases, so does the demand for construction workers, creating the perfect opportunity to change careers. Therefore, it makes good business sense to hire more women and make good use of their labour.
More companies are also looking for new ways to show their diversity. Hiring a women construction worker is one way to show that diversity in a generally-male dominated industry. Therefore, both women and the industry can benefit from increasing employment opportunities for women.
Studies have also shown that women have traits that can bring a different perspective to the construction industry. For example, they are great at multi-tasking, and have effective communication skills that make them good relationship builders. This means that women in construction can build stronger connections with customers and therefore improve business performance.