Women in Construction Week is a yearly event started by the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) to highlight women as a visible and necessary component of the building and construction industry. This year it falls on March 6th-12th and will raise awareness of all the diverse opportunities for women in construction.
To celebrate this week, we at CIS have compiled this list of interesting and eye-opening facts about women in the construction industry.
1. Only 8.9% of workers in the U.S. construction industry are women.
Out of almost 10 million people working in the industry, only around 900,000 are women. This is one of the lowest percentages of any industry in the United States. To put that 8.9% into perspective, almost 12% of maids and housekeeping cleaners are male. This could be partly due simply to interests; not as many young women aspire to be construction workers. Another reason for this is that construction can appear to be a hostile work environment for women due to how few women are in the industry.
2. Women in construction earn closer to what men earn than the national average.
Nationally, women earn and average of $0.82 for every $1 men earn. In construction, however, women earn $0.93 for each $1 men earn. There are several possible explanations for this. The most likely, however, is union membership keeping wages for a certain type of job equal regardless of gender. This is great news for women, who only make up a small part of the industry.
3. The amount of women in construction has decreased since 2007.
Since the '80s, the number of women in the construction industry had been steadily increasing. But in 2007, that number leveled off and has since been decreasing. The most obvious reason for this reduction is the recession that caused unemployment to spike, especially in the construction industry. When real estate fell apart, there were no homes to build. It seems women were the first to have to leave the industry.
4. Construction management is trying to hire more women.
The demand for workers in the construction industry is currently higher than it has ever been. Because of this, management is looking everywhere it can to fill the gaps. One problem they are facing is the fact that not many women wish to enter the industry. This problem could take time to solve as it involves changing perceptions of construction as a career.
5. Shortage of women in construction is a international problem.
The U.S. isn't the only country to employ very few women in construction. All across Europe, in countries like Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Greece, female representation is still very low. Despite European countries attempting to enforce 30% or 40% quotas, most are unable to achieve them. To increase female participation in the industry, perceptions and cultures need to change; quotas aren't enough.
