The construction industry is a place that men have dominated for centuries. Of all the people working in this sector, women comprise just 10% of the workforce. Additionally, these figures mostly revolve around the backend operations. Figures are even lower if you peek into the front-end like the construction sites. Many factors are behind this trend. There is a considerable gender gap, or bias, whatever you call it. Moreover, there is a lack of training for women. However, these factors cannot deter women who have strong resilience.
New projects are being announced today, and the job sector is expected to boom. So companies are looking for more talent irrespective of gender to occupy positions across varied segments of the construction sector today. Some skills that seem to make the mark are multi-tasking capabilities and compassion. Read about the recent trends and roles that women in construction surpass.
Learning Resources
To enter and stay in a risky zone like construction, women need to be well-prepared and have resources. Today, national groups and women’s organizations are coming forward with mentorship, marketing, and networking opportunities to help women break the ice. Large construction companies have also started collaborating with local vocational schools in rural and suburban areas to train the women. Online contractor courses are readily available now, making things more achievable for the female talent pool.
Many companies are also offering apprenticeship programs to women in this field. If you are a woman reading this, you should take some cues. Participate in seminars and workshops to leverage the males in this sector. Additionally, you can also go through blogs on this subject. You can get access to original research ideas and scholarship opportunities and hear other women’s personal success stories.
Career Paths
Today, you will come across exciting opportunities in the construction sector. Moreover, these jobs provide a high degree of stability. There are various opportunities in the industry, starting from labor workers to construction technicians and site supervisors. You can choose one according to your qualification and educational levels.
According to specific research organizations, a construction estimator can earn a salary of approximately $70,000 today. The role involves calculating the costs of construction, time management, labor management, preparing bids for clients with the help of software, and mathematical calculations. There’s also a construction technician who earns a median salary of approximately $70 000 today. The primary duties entail producing the software’s structural designs, drawings, and specifications. The incumbent also must ensure that all building codes are followed and comply with designs. Such individuals must also survey the sites for discrepancies as and when necessary. Fire safety norms and soil tests may also be their purview.
The other roles that are open for women in the sector include site supervisor and project manager, to name a few. A career in construction is lucrative in several ways. There is job stability, higher average wages, and advancement opportunities.
Gender Diversity
As more and more sectors and companies move towards a mix of genders in business, the construction industry also follows suit. It has been seen that gender-diverse companies raise profits by almost 25%. With a new era emerging from 2021 onwards, in different respects and values, this will be a path-breaking era in every way possible.
It is a fact that companies that have more women in executive roles are seeing an above-average performance compared to companies that have only males. We see more staff roles than line roles today. However, this little gap will indeed be mitigated with more learning programs and employer readiness coming in.
Company Recruitment
There is still much work to be done in this sector when it comes to removing gender bias and recruiting females. Companies need to develop gender sensitization programs and arrange gender-specific training to cement women’s position in the sector. Additionally, high schools and vocational schools in various geographical areas need to highlight the value of construction jobs for women and youngsters. That will enable them to see it as a successful career path.
There is currently a shortage of labor in the industry that paves the path for women to step in. The companies can also look towards hiring females in the IT departments of the construction industry as this can help them deal with staff shortages and other calamities.
There are still quite a few hindrances for women to step into this male-dominated sector. Diversity has been shown to impact profitability to a considerable extent. More and more ambitious and hardy women are looking for robust opportunities to prove their mettle. Thus, you can see the future with an equal proportion of male-females working in the sector.
