People often use the construction industry as an example of a field where men do most of the work. Only 11.1% of the people who build and fix things are Women in Construction. Women make up a much smaller part of the workforce. For every hundred men, there is only one woman. Only 1.25 percent of employees are women, which is a big loss in a workforce where women make up almost half (47%).
What do Women in Construction?
Any kind of work can be done by women in the construction industry. But these groups are always underrepresented at the trade and executive levels. Only 2.5% of tradespeople are women, but only 2% of construction office workers are women. Also, about 14% of staff executive positions and 7% of line executive positions are held by women.
Even though these numbers are discouraging, many companies are taking steps to increase the number of women in leadership positions, and the women who are already in the field are serving as examples for the next generation.
Female Pioneers
Women are getting closer to having the same number of leadership positions as men, but men still have a lot more of them. In recent years, there have been a lot more women in executive and construction management roles. This shows that companies have been working hard to promote women to these positions.
- Kim Roy.
Kim Roy was named CEO of HITT Contracting in 2017 after 18 years of working in different jobs. In 2009, Building Design + Construction Magazine named CEO Roy one of the Top 40 Under 40. In 2019, the Commercial Observer named her one of the Top Women in Real Estate – Innovation Award winners. Kim told NAIOP in an interview that she wants to get more women to work in the real estate industry, which has been dominated by men in the past.
- Oren Meirav
In recent years, Meirav Oren has made a name for herself. In 2019, she helped start the Versatile construction technology company. During Oren’s time as CEO of Versatile, the company raised more than $100 million and made CraneView, a device that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the safety and efficiency of crane operators.
- Kylie Rampa A.
Kylie Rampa is the Group Head of Investment for Lendlease Australia, a company that builds and improves infrastructure all over the world. She has a lot of experience in the real estate and development fields, and in April 2022, she will become the CEO of QIC.
Helpful Information for Women in Construction Trades
If women want to work in male-dominated fields like construction that could be dangerous, they need tools that are made with their needs in mind. Also, Companies and trade groups are working to make sure that there are equal numbers of men and women in leadership positions and to teach young women about the many opportunities in the industry.
Role of OSHA
Workers should be able to work in a safe place. By law, businesses have to make sure their buildings are safe for their employees to work in. OSHA is there to help companies and workers with things like education and training.
Additionally, Call the OSHA hotline at 1-800-321-OSHA if you are worried about the safety of your workplace or want answers to your questions (6742). You can’t tell anyone else about this. You can count on us to help. Visit OSHA’s Workers’ page to learn more about how to keep your employees safe, including information about Workers’ Rights, Employer Responsibilities, and other services that OSHA may offer.
Programs for Building Construction
Large construction companies all over the country work with local groups to help young women and girls who want to work in construction get the education they need. Also, many big cities have apprenticeship programs whose only goal is to get and keep women by teaching them the skills they need for certain jobs and getting them ready for the tests for those jobs.
Performance is driven by diversity.
Even though there isn’t much evidence of increased diversity in the construction industry yet, McKinsey & Co. found that companies with the most gender diversity were 25% more likely to make more money than average than those with less diversity. Moreover, The best way to take advantage of the predicted growth in the industry in 2021 is to hire more women.
How can construction firms get more women to work for them?
Women still have a long way to go. Before they have the same opportunities in all parts of the building business. Organizations should include more women in the hiring process and make training programs. And local mentorship groups fit their needs to attract and keep more women workers. Young women and girls need to know what it’s like to work in construction so they can think about it as a career.
Due to a lack of workers, the construction industry might do well to hire more women. Even though construction technology has come a long way, many companies are hesitant to use new methods for several reasons. Such as a lack of skilled workers. By working hard to hire and keep women in IT jobs. Construction companies may be able to solve the lack of workers while also becoming more diverse.
