DANGER WOMEN WORKING!
DANGER WOMEN WORKING!
The construction industry has always been thought of as a mans
domain but, things are changing1
Perceptions begets realityPerceptions of the Construction
IndustryHarsh working conditionsInclement weather, lack physical
comfortsPhysically demandingWomen the weaker sex (1)Biological
structure - fragile, delicatePhysically ineptRational choice? (2)
Men
Henderson, Bialeschki and ShawClarke, Pedersen and Wall
The trade has always been perceived as a vocation that is
difficult, hazardous, dangerous. Its environmental working
conditions are often extreme, lack typical physical comforts and
require physical strength. These working conditions certainly would
not be suitable for the Victorian societal view of women, one
demure, fragile, frail, and whose physicality was not as developed
as a man. It is these perceptions that make the male the rational
choice for this industry. And so it has been and continues to
be.
2
Be like RosieNature of gender roles naturalWomens movement
1960sChallenging the status quoDemographic shifts (3)1:2 marriages
end in divorce, demands self-sufficiencyEconomic times (4)shortage
of labor 50% (12,000+ workers)47% of work force (women) cannot be
ignored
(3) Crouch(4) Menches and Abraham
Gender roles in my generation (early boomer) were performed
because it was natural or implicit. There were no why, why nots in
what one was allowed to do or not do. Men and women performed
societal expectations, but the womens movement in the 60s
challenged those expectations. The crux of the challenge was really
the question of why women were thought of as less, and the demand
for equality.The demographic shift of women in recent decades has
changed the landscape of the construction industry. One in two
marriages end in divorce forcing women to take care of their homes
by themselves. Im a classic example. After divorcing, I needed to
learn how to take care of minor structural, cosmetic necessities,
which is a portal to the construction industry.Economic times and
shortage of labor is driving the industry itself to look into
untapped resources, that of women and minorities. And like Rosie
the Riverter, women are positioned to fill that gap. 47% of the
population cannot be ignored.
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Landscape is changing!Participation up from 6% to 10% (5)Women
in leadership roles (6)Patricia GallowayAmerican Society of Civil
EngineersChristine KelvilleConstruction Managers Assn. AmericaWomen
in action Women in Construction
LLChttp://www.womenworking.org/gallery2/roof.htm
(5) Post(6) Engineering News-Record
Im happy to report that the landscape of construction is
changing. Women in the trade account for approximately 11% of
tradespersons up from 6% in 1983. Women are taking high level
leadership positions in the industry. Patricia Galloway heads the
151 year old American Society of Civil Engineers, (to quote the
article) a historically male bastion if there ever was one, which
makes her a role model to women in the trade. One of her goals? To
push womens issues.Christine Kelville is also the first female
president of the Construction Managers Association of America. Her
goal? To increase the # of small, minority and women-owned
companies. Women in Construction LLC is just one example of women
in construction
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Challenge: Discrimination still Study shows attitudes are still
- women dont belong in the field (7) (8)Lack of exposure, training
(2)Restrictions on entry Lack of training, recruitmentWomen still
suffer harassment, hostility and discrimination (9)
(7) A.Enshassi, Ihsen and Al Hallaq(8) Kehinde and Okoli(9)
Eisenberg
But there is still discrimination.Although the study was
conducted in Palestine, attitudes are prevalent throughout most of
the western world that women do not belong at a field site, and are
expected to fulfill their roles as mothers, wivesA study conducted
in Britain pointed out that women are excluded from the trade
because of restrictions on entry, lack of access through training
and recruitmentAnd women still suffer sexual harassment, thought of
as masculine and/or derided because of their femaleness
5
Remember the 60sRemember the womens movementEquality in
opportunityTodays construction industry is different (9)Lighter
materialMachine efficienciesWork smarter, not harderOne with good
brain, healthy body, positive work attitudes is more useful than
biceps(9) Eisenberg
But change can happen. Remember the womens movement, its
struggles, the pioneers, the ones who sacrificed. We are the
beneficiaries of those times (which is by the way still evolving).
There are going to struggles. But like the successes of the womens
movement, persistence is key.Construction industry is different
todayLighter material is being usedMachine efficiencies have
improvedTodays competency is work smarter, not harder
6
Life changes..Life changes made me rethink capabilitiesMinor
repairs Change electrical fixturesChange faucet fixturesRepair
appliancesReplace house full of baseboardsWhy not major repairs?Why
not crown molding?Why would I be precluded from doing any male
tasks? We have the same brains!
Life changes made me rethink my capabilities. I became a
divorcee with a house, 2 dogs and 2 adolescents, one in college and
the other at home. I needed to keep the house intact, but could not
afford to hire someone to take care of it. I started with the small
things. Surely, if I read and followed the instructions, I would be
successful. I was actually expecting to fail, but I didnt. I
surprised myself! I was able to take care of some minor electrical,
plumbing and structural work. I was actually competent. Was there
anything else that I didnt try that I was capable of? Was anything
precluding me to take on larger, major work? Hmmmm.
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Why not!Women and Leisure classCrown moldingHome DepotIt was
easier than I thoughtValidation / AffirmationCapableAttitude
changeLife becomes an world of opportunitiesEvidence
2011http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ3t2HKCB_0http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylr4p2bqKm8
This class made me ask the question, why couldnt I do major
tradesmen work? Do I really need to pay someone to do crown
molding? The answer is no. After attending one crown molding class,
I learned that it was just a matter of turning the molding the
correct way on the double-miter saw, cutting it, marking the wall
and having another person hold the other end of the length of
molding so I could secure it to the wall. Rick, my instructor,
absolutely and unequivocally said that I could do it myself, no
hesitations (Need to note that Im 63 years old). This
affirmation/validation gave me the confidence that I certainly
could accomplish this. This task only required 2 quick cuts for
both inside/outside corners, nailing and then painting. Was there
anything else out there that I could do that I didnt do because it
was traditionally male? This project demonstrates that women are
not the weaker sex, but as capable as males. Its the presumption
that women are less, weaker that prescribes ineptitude. Its time to
change that mindset. It is only then that life can become a world
of open opportunities to female and male alike. To this class and
Rick at Home Depot: Thank you for taking the blinders off.Things
are changing. Click the links to see whats happening.8
ReferencesA.Enshassi, S. Ihsen and K. Al Hallaq. "The perception
of women engineers in teh construction industry in Palestine."
European Journal of Engineering Education 33.1 (2008):
13-20.Clarke, Linda, Elsebet Frydendal Pedersen and Christine Wall.
"Balancing acts in construction: A study of two women painters in
Denmark and Britain." NORA 7 (1999): 138-150.Crouch, John. Divorce
Statistics and Studies Blog. 7 February 2011. 10 November 2011
.Eisenberg, Susan. "Misogyny hurts craft labor." Engineering
News-Record 247.16 (2001): 55.
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References (contd)Engineering News-Record. "Women take
leadership positions." Engineering News-Record 251.14 (2003):
28.Henderson, Karla A., et al. Both gains and gaps : feminist
perspectives on women's leisure. State College: Venture
Publications, 1996.Kehinde, J. O. and O. G. Okoli. "Professional
women and career impediments in the construction industry in
Nigeria." Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education
and Practice 130.2 (2004): 115-119.Menches, Cindy L. and Dulcy M.
Abraham. "Women in Construction - Tapping the unapped resource to
meet future demands." Journal of Construction Engineering and
Management (2007): 701-707.Post, Nadine M. "n Support of Women."
Engineering News-Record 251.14 (2003): 28-32.
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Yes We Can!
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