In honor of Women in Construction Week and International
Women's Day, it is the perfect time to celebrate the
diversifying workforce and increasing number of women working in
the construction field. Women can, and should, continue to play an
invaluable and innovative role in the construction workforce, and
the opportunities for them are endless.
Despite a growing number of women in construction, it largely
remains a male-dominated industry. Women comprise only about 9
percent of the workforce. This likely reflects barriers women face
in pursuing such work: the perception that it is "men's
work"; less encouragement for girls to pursue math and science
in school; unlikeliness of exposure to construction tools during
childhood; failure to inform young women of jobs that exist in the
trades; discriminatory recruitment practices; and ill-fitting
construction gear designed for men, among others. With the
expectation that the construction industry will
