The construction industry has a long way to include women in their workforce fully. For more women to join the industry, construction companies need to increase recruitment and improve the retention of women.
To retain women construction workers, the companies need to grow the profile of women role models, promote women in leadership roles and offer equal pay. To push more women to join the industry, women need to take on leadership roles, said Morgan Ventos during our chat. “Who better than to create a safe work environment for women other than a woman. With the struggles, we face every day other women need a strong leader to look up to,” she added.
Companies need to develop gender-inclusive hiring practices to recruit more women, such as removing gender names from the CVs. This way, the companies decrease the unconscious bias toward women joining the industry.
At the same time, construction companies need to educate young women about the industry, presenting the whole spectrum of careers it offers. As Britney Mroczkowski puts it, “construction is not just about hard hats and manual labor.” Women can work in various positions within the industry, such as design, architecture, project management, etc. But the lack of information keeps women aware of the potential of working in construction. “5 years ago, if you told me I would be a licensed general contractor, I would not have believed you. Going back even further to when I was in high school, I was never told that being a real estate developer or general contractor was an option for a future career path,” Britney added.
However, women in construction are using social media to educate and inspire women to join the industry. “I love following the #womeninconstruction hashtag. I get to see so many inspiring women who are making waves in this industry. It may be a small crowd, but they are passionate about what they do,” Britney Mroczkowski during our chat.