Celebrating Women in the Construction Industry
Every year, we celebrate Women in Construction week from March 7th to March 13th.
At BlueTape, we boast a diverse team of both women and men, and celebrating the accolades and achievements of women is of large importance to us. In this post, we honor the women who have worked tirelessly within the construction industry.
Women in the Industry
When you think of the industries that are dominated by men, the construction industry is most likely one of the first that comes to mind. In the United States, women make up 47 percent of the workforce. Yet,
women only account for 10.3% of the construction industry’s labor force, with 1 in every 100 job site employees being women. This number continues to improve every year, but there is still much more work to be done in order to break the “male-dominated” stigma within the construction industry. This stigma has also led to issues regarding gender bias in the industry. Women are, on average, less trained than men, lacking the essential resources necessary to fully make part of the industry and construction workforce.
Efforts of Women in the Construction Industry
In 2021, we celebrate the great strides of women in the construction industry. Some accomplishments of women have been:
- Nearly 1 in 3 women were promoted to executive positions in 2018
- 64% growth in women-owned firms between 2014 and 2019
- 44% of the highest performing firms have women in executive positions
- Large growth in the level of C-level executives
Challenges Women Face
Although women have worked hard to improve their conditions in the industry, there are still enduring issues that we must address and be aware of. These include:
- The pay gap between men in women has seen 43% of firms not actively paying women a wage equal to that of their male counterparts
- 73% of women feel passed over for their roles because of their gender
- Women are more prone to on-site injuries due to poorly fitting equipment
- 60% of gender discrimination in the workplace is endured by women
- 47% of women have never worked with a female manager
How You Can Help
Combating gender discrimination and deconstructing the stigmas within the construction industry are important so that equality can be achieved. The
NAWIC is a great resource for educating yourself on the struggles women face in the workplace and the industry, in general. The NAWIC commits itself to achieving gender equality and provides educational resources and tools to help propel the effort forward. Additionally, make sure to create a welcoming, fair environment at your own workplace. By treating men and women fairly, you are contributing to an even larger domino effect: showing that women can conduct the same labor and maintain the same roles as men. Allow your female counterparts to voice their opinions and contribute to project and business development.
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