Women in Construction Week is in full swing after starting on Sunday, March 7 and continuing through March 13th, helping to raise awareness of the opportunities that are available for women in the industry and highlighting those making a positive impact. In conjunction, several companies have completed surveys of hundreds of female construction professionals, showing the progress that has been made and the opportunities still left to tackle.
While the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) most recent data cites that women only account for 10.9% of the construction industry, that is still a full 1% higher than BLS data from 2019, a promising trend that can only help continue to push the industry forward.
To help amplify the voices of that 10.9% of our industry, Levelset, a cloud based payment platform, conducted a survey of just over 1,000 women in construction. In addition, another survey of 718 women was carried out by The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) and Safe Site Check In, a safety reporting application.
Equality
The results show many promising signs that women are finding a productive home in construction, but some challenges still remain. Both surveys asked whether the respondents let that men and women were treated equally with respect to pay or respect given. While the majority stated that they felt equally respected, 34% of respondents to the Levelset survey said that they did not feel as valued as male counterparts. 41% of respondents to the NAWIC survey ranked their employers below 80 for equal treatment of men and women on a scale of 1-100.
courtesy of NAWIC/Safe Site Check In
“Now is a great time for women to work in construction. There are more job opportunities across a variety of professional, trade and administration fields and the gender pay gap is significantly smaller. On average, women in construction earn 99.1 percent of their male colleagues,” said Crissy Ingram, executive director, NAWIC, in a press release.
Opportunity
Regarding opportunities for women, respondents also responded favorably on both surveys, with 6 in 10 women in the Levelset survey believing there are good opportunities and 71% of the NAWIC respondents believing that opportunities are increasing.
courtesy of NAWIC/Safe Site Check In
Discrimination and Harassment
The Levelset survey also highlighted discrimination against and harassment of women in the workplace due to their gender. While again, the majority of women feel safe and comfortable working with their coworkers, there are still too many that are receiving unwanted attention from others. Just like jobsite injuries, any discrimination or harassment greater than zero is completely unacceptable.
About 40% of women stated that they have experienced discrimination based on gender and about 25% responded that they have received unwanted attention from coworkers, supervisors, customers, or clients. On a more positive note, 81% said that their supervisor would support them if they reported this unwanted behavior.
Full Survey Results
You can read the full details of the Levelset survey here: 1,001 Women in Construction Speak Out About the Industry
You can read the Nawic/Safe Site Check In survey here: SURVEY: National Association of Women in Construction and Safe Site Check In Report Job Opportunities for Women Are On the Rise, 59 Percent Rank Employers Favorably for Equality
Shane is the creator of Construction Junkie and an active construction project manager. In his career, he has managed interior remodel projects, site development, construction safety, governmental project compliance, and facility maintenance. He has a strong passion for construction technology and safety, as well as sharing the knowledge or insights he has gained throughout his career.