Construction Industry: Why Do We Need More Women?

Females in construction challenge the status quo and change the face area of construction as more female-driven intuition, intelligence, and dedication help add value in the workplace.

When you think of construction, what concerns your mind? It’s no secret that the construction industry is massively male dominant.

It was unusual to get women employed in this sector a time back or to lead a team on a development project. The discrimination that blocks women from opting and residing in the field is certainly one reason why women’s career in this sector has always remained low for decades.

However, now, women in Construction Company in Islamabad are challenging the status quo and changing the face of construction as more female-driven intuition, intelligence, and dedication help add value in the workplace.

Following the International Labor Organization, a survey of different construction industry stakeholders, road contractors, architects, and building designers was conducted in 2015 in Pakistan. The outcome showed less participation of women in this field due to socio-economic & cultural/religious constraints, discrimination, harassment, and insufficient equal opportunities.

Women Still Face Challenges

In the construction industry, women encounter familiar gender-related challenges such as gender bias, sexual harassment, insufficient resources and benefits, and social perceptions. Challenges unique to construction include:

Injury Risk

Most construction protection equipment continues to be designed with men in mind. The poor fit leaves women at a greater threat of being injured on the field.

Pay Gap

Women earn 95.7 percent of what men make in construction. The number is even lower for women of color, who earn only 81 cents for each dollar paid to white men.

Lack of Mentorship

Due to the shortage of women, there’s a general insufficient strong female role models, which discourages women from advancing in the field and choosing construction as a career.

Why Women Should Join Construction

There are lots of benefits to why women should consider a lifetime career in construction, including:

Leadership Opportunities

The shortage of female leaders provides opportunities for women to improve team performance, contribute fresh perspectives, advance their careers, and have room for growth.

Higher Income Potential

An average of women who work construction and trade careers earn as much as 30% more than traditional female-dominated careers like administrative assistants and childcare.

There’s a Labor Shortage

Within the next five years, the need for construction workers is expected to grow to over 1.6 million people. This opens up the opportunity for high-paying, stable jobs for women.

Feeling of Achievement

One of the greatest feelings is to be able to build something from the bottom up. In construction, women receive this feeling of achievement and develop a passion for building — a passion that shouldn’t be restricted to just men.

Practical Skills

Construction skills like team building, managing a complicated project, and working with technology and tools may be placed on other sectors and careers.

Joining Other Women

Selecting a career in construction means joining the ranks of women spearheading the movement — women like Kim Roy, the initial female CEO to lead certainly one of ENR’s top contracting companies, and Jennifer Vides, a superintendent at Turner Construction. She attained her role at just 26 years old.