Woman oilfield worker
Over the past few decades, we have made progress in gender equality and women's rights in certain areas, but in many others, progress is rather illusive. Today, women are viewed as equal breadwinners, and they hold key positions in many industries. Does this mean we have achieved gender equality?
Let's turn to the construction industry. Despite the progress we have seen in the societal acceptance of women as equal breadwinners, capable leaders and successful entrepreneurs, such progress is less prevalent than in many other industries. The construction industry has a long history of sexism and discrimination against tradeswomen. In some cases, such treatment ended in tragedy, like the fate of carpenter apprentice Outi Hicks.
In the 21st century, it is shocking that women in the construction industry still face an uphill battle when it comes to advancement. But when you consider the root causes and statistics, it's not such a shock. Almost a third of women working in construction fear sexism will hold them back from the industry's top jobs, a recent study by Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors found last year. The construction trades have long been among the industries with the lowest percentage of gender diversity in the workforce. Women represent only 9 percent of the overall construction workforce and 3 percent of the building trades.
Why does it matter? The construction industry is experiencing a dire skilled labor shortage, and women make up half of the population and workforce. It's intuitive to conclude that a large part of the solution to the skilled labor shortage is in the hands of untapped talent; we need more tradeswomen! It's that simple. If the construction industry doesn't act promptly to address this, it wouldn't just be hindering progress in closing the gender gap but also the skilled labor gap.
It is true that we must address gender bias and sexism in the construction industry. But is it sufficient to just advocate for gender diversity to be "addressed"? To create a diverse and inclusive culture and eliminate longstanding gender bias, we must advocate for diversity to be embedded into business strategy. It goes beyond providing adequate restroom facilities for tradeswomen and personal protective gear in smaller sizes.
Some building trades are beginning to make significant progress using both approaches. Tradeswomen and their allies, with the support of their leadership, are making headway in eliminating gender bias and turning "hostile work environments" into fostering work conditions for tradeswomen.
We can't close the skills gap unless we close the gender gap in the construction industry. More organizations and companies in the industry, including contractors, building trades and end users, must incorporate diversity into business strategy and company culture.
There's certainly a correlation between harassment tradeswomen face on the job and the concept of "manly jobs." I have experienced it firsthand. The problem starts with the way society views certain professions. It begins with parents encouraging girls to play with dolls and boys to play with cars or teaching girls to grow up to be wives and moms while allowing boys to explore more options other than just becoming a dad or husband. It starts with career stereotyping, expecting women to be teachers, nurses and secretaries. Gender stereotypes also frequently play into how students are exposed to career options in middle school and high school. Such career stereotyping has led building trades and construction industry careers to be considered "manly jobs" and has created barriers for women entering the field. The idea of leadership in the industry is connected to "toughness" that is associated with physical strength and spatial problem solving. Tradeswomen are constantly challenged and tested to ensure that they can "handle the manly job." The idea of "manly jobs" is the root cause of sexism and discrimination tradeswomen have faced for decades. It is the barrier to increasing diversity in the industry. It is the reason why women represent 3 percent of the building trades.
The future of the construction industry depends on increasing diversity. It depends on campaigns to raise awareness and incorporate diversity into business strategy.
For more information, visit www.iron workers.org or call (202) 383-4800.
