Women in Construction: Getting Out of The Office

The total employment of women in construction is very low, 10.3% in 2020. And most of those jobs are front-office, not front-lines.

Of all the women employed in construction, 45% of them are in office or administrative roles. An average jobsite has one woman on-the-job for every 100 men. But 44% of the 100 top construction companies’ executives are women; that’s a good percentage.

Help Wanted: Women in Construction

Here’s to strong women.
May we know them. May we be them.
May we raise them. -Michelle Obama

Obstacles women face on the jobsite include:

• Discrimination
• Exclusion
• Fewer management role models (other women) available
• Fewer opportunities for advancement
• Gender pay gaps
• Greater risk for injury from poor-fitting safety equipment

The construction boom we’re anticipating will hit hard in 2022 with about two million new jobs predicted. We’ll face a shortage of skills like never before.

Smart companies will begin the push-to-hire now, if at all economically possible. And studies show that more diversity – women in construction – improves a company’s profitability by 25%.

Recruiting women is possible if you emphasize training programs and support mentorship. You might consider designing a construction boot camp for girls this summer.

Some of the organizations for women in construction include:

• GWIC – Groundbreaking Women in Construction
• HHW – Hard Hatted Women
• NAWIC – National Women in Construction
• Pride and a Paycheck
• Tradeswomen Taskforce
• WCOE – Women Construction Owners & Executives USA
• Wild Abundance

And many states have their own organizations for women in construction. Check the web to learn more.

Women in Construction Week March 7-13, 2021

Now Through Feb. 12, 2021, you can nominate yourself or a co-worker for Construction Dive’s recognition of top female leaders in construction. Categories include:

• Industry veteran – More than 25 years in the construction industry
• Mentor
• Other
• Rising star – Under the age of 30
• Tradeswoman leader
• Up-and-coming leader – Over the age of 30

Change Begins With You

Construction Monitor follows industry change so we can better support your company. You can study employment trends with Construction Monitor building permits’ analytics. Or you can develop sales leads and become the change we’re following.

Contact us today.