What do you picture when you think of the construction industry? Chances are, you don’t think of a group of both men and women getting along nicely. You probably think of a group of sweaty men, wearing hi-vis and grunting every so often. The construction industry isn’t a particularly friendly environment for females. 99% of the people that work on a construction site are male. Some say this is natural for a physical job that requires endurance, but even the roles that aren’t all that physical fail to attract women. Plus, when we think of the world today, moving away from the idea that something should be ‘men only’ is a smart thing to do.
How To Create Opportunities For Women In Construction
Although the male to female ratio in the construction industry is off, there are ways it can be turned around. For example, publicising the wide range of roles that could appeal to women in this sector. There are a few ways women may start considering construction as a viable career path.
- Giving Incentives – of course incentives shouldn’t just be given to women. Both genders should be given incentives. However, it’s important to note that the incentives given to one sex may need to vary. Women may prefer flexible working in the construction sector, for instance.
- Offering apprenticeships – giving an apprenticeship is a great way to offer a taste of what a role will be like and allow a person to assess how they enjoy a job and whether it suits them. During an apprenticeship, you can build loyalty with employees and passion can be sparked. Equal opportunities must be applied during the recruiting process, and ensuring these apprenticeships appeal to females just as much as men.
- Dealing with discrimination and sexism – these things are already a worry for women, let alone in a female environment. It’s so important to have standards ready for combating this type of discrimination, such as a zero tolerance policy.
- Changing the company culture – creating a culture of mutual respect is a must, so everybody can feel part of the team. This will create a more productive working environment for everybody.
Coming Up With A Solution
Having women in construction isn’t unheard of, but it still isn’t the norm. A woman could fit in all kinds of roles, so there’s no need for the huge gender divide that stops younger women from wanting to get involved in the industry. Before you forget about this post and visit A&A Machinery for rigging contractor resources, make sure you come up with a plan to do more to attract women. Some contractors work hard to offer women who have had time off a route back into work, while there are schemes in schools that promote the image of construction to young girls.
What do you think companies can do to make the construction workplace more suitable for female workers? Can you change the culture and introduce new policies? Whatever you decide to do, you could make a valuable impact on the construction industry as we know it.
