Celebrating Women in Construction (Part 1)
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Read time: 5 minutes
For every 9 men in the construction industry, there is 1 woman.
Meanwhile, in April 2022, there were 449,000 unfilled positions available in the building industry.
One solution for overcoming the gap in unfilled jobs is to recruit more women to the industry. But for that to work, the industry needs to be attractive for a young woman. For hundreds of years construction has been dominated by men and an overall “macho” attitude.
It’s time for that to change.
One step towards creating that change is Women In Construction Week.
Women In Construction Week is a relatively new initiative that takes place on the first full week of March every year (This year: March 5th - 11th).
The mission of Women In Construction Week is to increase awareness of the growing number of women in construction, encourage more women to join the industry, and train the rest of the industry (i.e. men) how to be advocates and create a better environment on jobsites and in offices across the country.
Promoting women in construction has always been close to my heart for 2 reasons:
My mom is a Global Vice President of Operations for a huge bank. Banking is another male-dominated industry, and my mom worked her way through the ranks regardless. I loved watching her navigate conference calls, coaching her direct reports, and advancing her career. She showed me what a strong woman is capable of- no matter the industry biases.
A lot of the best relationships I have built since joining the construction industry 6 years ago have been with women. I find they are more likely to take a collaborative approach to estimating and project management. And they do it while overcoming bias- whether you want to believe it exists or not.
All of that is to say: I am a big proponent of women in construction and love the Women in Construction Week initiative.
As a white male, there’s not much I can hope to do other than listen and be an advocate.
So that’s what the next 4 weeks of The Balanced Construction Executive are going to be all about.
Each week will feature an interview with a different woman in construction with the ultimate goal of bringing more awareness to what women in construction deal with, what they overcome, and what they have already accomplished.
Here is our first interviewee, Jade McNair- Superintendent from Gilbane Building Company.
I hope you enjoy and learn something along the way!
Let’s all be advocates and make the industry 1% better.
Q: How long have you been in the construction industry?
A: I have been in the construction industry for 7 years! 5 years have been full time, but the first 2 years were internships which I always add to my “seniority” years in the industry because this is when I realized that construction was my passion and really dove into the basics outside of college classes.
Q: What is your favorite part about working in construction?
A: The collaboration! Surprisingly, growing up I thought I would be doing something that didn’t require much work with others but here I am working in an industry that heavily relies on communication and collaboration. I love the ability to meet people on different paths of the construction industry knowing that we’re all here for a common goal: to build the world towards a better place. I’m surrounded by people who want to build their careers, build their communities, and build the next generation.
Q: What would you tell a young woman thinking about taking a construction track for her career
A: I love this question because when I first say “construction” to most young women, there’s an automatic look of surprise and an immediate “no way” reaction which I always reply with “it’s much more interesting than you would think!” The opportunities for women in construction are endless. Not only are there different career paths that you can take within the construction industry but knowing that you can make a difference in your community is an amazing feeling.
Q: What is something you deal with as a woman in construction that the average person would be surprised to hear?
A: As a woman superintendent, I am automatically seen as not knowing much about the industry or not being capable of managing construction projects. The stigma of women not being able to do the job that mostly men do is still very present in the industry. What I say can get disregarded and men onsite try to belittle me, but I’ve learned to stand my ground and I am able to politely provide the facts and reasons for what I know which has helped me change the narrative and atmosphere on my projects.
Q: What systems does your company have in place to help you navigate being a woman in construction?
A: My company, Gilbane Building Company, is beyond supportive of women - and diversity overall - in the construction industry. When I started my career in construction, they made sure that I had the right tools (figuratively and physically) and put me with the right people to help navigate my place in the industry. Not soon after, they developed internal Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) with one of them being a women’s group that allowed me to network with other women who have experienced the challenges and opportunities of being a woman in construction.
Q: Are there any trade or other professionals organizations other women should get involved with
A: Yes! There are so many different organizations that women in the construction industry can get involved in. Here are a few that I am involved with or heard great things about.
The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) – I am a chair member of the NAWIC Northern Virginia Chapter (NOVA) and we are always looking to connect with women in our industry!
National Association of Black Women in Construction (NABWIC)
Society of Women Engineers (SWE)
If your company has Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), I fully encourage you to get involved. This is an amazing opportunity to not only meet other incredible women in your organization but connect with those that can relate to your experiences as a woman in construction and get some advice!
Q: What’s your best piece of advice for men in the construction industry to be better advocates?
A: Women in the industry are in a unique place because they are great peers/coworkers/mentors/mentees/etc and soak up so much information that they are ready to share and positively grow people and projects. My advice to men in the construction industry is to be open to learning more from women. Ask them questions to get their insight and pull them into rooms where diverse thoughts and ideas are necessary. Lastly, be open and genuine in getting to know the women you work with.
Q: What’s your best piece of advice for a woman in the construction industry who might be struggling with the gender disparity?
A: Pride yourself in utilizing your uniqueness to pave a new road to success in the construction industry. You have the ability to create conversations to change the outlook of women in construction that will empower and inspire current and future women of the industry. With this, you will break barriers in an industry that thrives on opportunity
Jade is a true leader and I’m grateful to call her a friend.
Next week we’ll feature another smart and capable woman in construction, Kara Guelzow.
Can't wait to see you then.
Your friend,
Matt
P.S. Don’t forget to donate to Girls On The Run. Any amount will make a difference.
