Women in Construction Hits Record High

As the construction industry’s labor shortage intensifies, the number of women moving into the industry has reached an all-time high. Bloomberg reports that the number of women working in U.S. construction hit 1 million this year for the first time. As of July, women made up a record 14.1 percent of the sector’s workforce.

The increase has resulted largely from necessity. Let’s just say that as of April, there were 440,000 open construction jobs in the United States. The Bureau of Labor Statistic’s data, which dates back 21 years, reports this as the highest in its history.

Many industry experts say that a lot of veteran talent is starting to retire, so they cannot afford to turn people down based on gender. One third of positions that women have in the industry consist of trade jobs like painting and carpentry, which according to Bloomberg, are expected to increase in the next couple of years.

While labor participation is up for women, the barriers haven’t explicitly been broken. According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, 44 percent of tradeswomen reported they are considering leaving the industry, with discrimination or a lack of respect being cited as the top reason. Another 24 percent named sexual harassment as a frequent experience.

Because of this, many firms have launched targeted initiatives at attracting women. For example, Suffolk, a Boston-based construction firm, introduced a program aimed at increasing the number of women from 28 to 38 percent within 10 years. They also revealed a 10-year partnership with Girl Scouts to offer STEM and construction curriculum to their members.

While this growth of women in construction has stemmed from necessity, it is likely to develop into a want should the world maximize on the skills women have to offer while maintaining the respect they deserve.