Women helping to lead the way in construction

If there is one demographic the construction industry must do a better job at targeting, it is women. Yet, there have been longstanding misconceptions and inequities that have prevented women from becoming a large part of the national construction workforce.

One of the major inequities — which affects many different industries — is the gender pay gap. According to recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women still trail their male counterparts by around 20 cents on the dollar. Yet, if you mine the construction pay data, you’ll find that women make over 95 percent of what men make.

The area where there is a lot of growth, one in which women are expected to play a large part, is in construction management. According to BLS statistics, the average construction manager brings in almost $90,000 in salary per year. As of just a few years ago, just a little more than six percent of those jobs were held by women, and with construction managerial jobs expected to continue rising at a healthy pace, it isn’t outside the realm of possibility to see that six percent double within the next decade.

More job openings within the industry will come from an expected increase in retirements over the next decade as a former generation of construction professionals enter a new phase of their life and pave the way for fresh faces within the industry. How many of those faces will be female? Well, if current numbers are any sign, it might be far more than initially expected.

Are you a woman in a traditionally male-dominated field? Let us know what sorts of challenges you’ve faced in your career and how you have dealt with these issues. We’d love your feedback and we’d love to have you join us as a member of AGC of Washington. To learn more about membership, click here to get started. You’ll enjoy exclusive member benefits such as discounts and health care as well as the opportunity to connect and network with likeminded peers in your industry.