Women are a treasure in construction industry as they are ever ready to change the game like their male counterparts. Although the industry remains to be male dominated still women are ready to throw constant challenge to them.
Women in America have entered the workspace in large numbers during World War ll. Rosie the Riveter aimed at including more women in working. From then there was no turning back. Women in large numbers joined various industries including that of construction. However now in the U.S., only 9% of construction workers are women, which is actually a small percentage compared to the other industries. US have seen fluctuations in the figures in terms of women who have been employed in the construction industry.
Women have to face tough time working against discrimination, finding the right safety equipment including sexual harassment that force them often to change the course of their career. Since her childhood a girl is taught to assist her brother or dad with some food or less straining activities. But surely it’s time to rethink and change this attitude. Not just that every women should think otherwise also it’s the construction companies who should rely more on their female employees and provide them more opportunities to excel.
Since the last 20 years, barriers have dissolved greatly and the industry has become more accessible to women. The construction industry is now promoting as life-long careers.
Facts and Figures
In the period of 2007-10, the construction industry saw a sharp decline in the count of women construction workers with a loss of 2.5 million jobs. In 2014, it has been found from the report of the Bureau of Labor Statistics that out of 9,813,000 people working in the construction industry only 872,000 or 8.9%, have been women. Although the number of women working in the construction industry is less still a steady rise can be reflected in the recent years.
How Women can Outdo Men?
Women who fall in the millennial generation are considered as the key to the future of construction industry as they are educated, have the right skills to join organizations like PWC. These employees look forward to make their career reach great heights. Women now wish to join organizations that offer diverse work to the employees. The millennial know smart ways to keep track of both personal and professional life and also wish to have an international work experience.
Companies with women, who hold top leadership positions, do better when compared to others. Women have a better perspective when it comes to decision making. Return on the invested capital has been recorded greater in companies that had women as their board of directors. The leadership qualities that are required for successful operation are present in women greatly as they have multi-tasking capabilities. The attributes include intellectual stimulation, decision making, inspiration, rewards and setting expectations.
There is often a dearth of skilled labors in construction industry. To meet the demands, companies that train and recruit female employees can avoid the cost of flying in male workers for a specific project.
Ways to Bring In More Women
To encourage women into this field there is multiple career opportunities open in some of the most reputed universities including Columbia University. The pay gap needs to be bridged and also incentives can act as a great approach to bring in more women to work in the sector. There has been an increased demand of Construction managers. It is interesting to note that about 7% of all the construction companies are owned by women.
Construction is no more about bricks but about improved technologies and strategic decisions, which is opening its doors further for women. Companies like that of SKYSITE have come up with information management software for seamless construction management. This helps in storing all files in cloud with absolute ease which means uncluttered office spaces. Faster search helps the construction professionals manage things better and find the required information without any hassle. This makes the entire workflow much better. SKYSITE understands the importance of women in construction industry perfectly well and creates a healthy environment to work.
