Unpacking barriers for women in construction

Higher levels of domestic responsibility, lower levels of education and a lack of female role models and mentors are among the barriers faced by women in the construction industry.

This was discussed during a webinar hosted by the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) ahead of the 2021 Empowerment and Recognition of Women in Construction (ERWIC) Awards.

“While entrepreneurship and risk will always be inextricably linked, woman entrepreneurs face even more barriers than their male counterparts,” explains Sakhile Mkwanazi, business coach, GROW.

“Studies have proven that there is a strong correlation between education and entrepreneurship. The higher the level of education you have, the higher the probability that you will move towards entrepreneurship and become successful. The lack of female role models that are successful entrepreneurs has an impact on other females visualising themselves as entrepreneurs, as they have never seen women succeed before them.”

Mkwanazi also highlighted possible cultural barriers such as a woman’s lack of assertiveness and confidence in their own skills, as well as a lack of business connections. “Most businesses are assisted by an entrepreneur’s network and relationships that helped the business get off the ground. Most women do not have such a network. If you are not educated enough to start your own business, if you do not have the confidence to start your own business, and if you do not have a mentor or role model that you can relate to and ask for advice – and no business network – you will probably not start a business. And if you do, there are already significant barriers.”

A lack of access to funding, the incapacity of regulatory bodies to enforce transformation frameworks, and corruption were other barriers mentioned by Kile Mteto, MD, Ntando-Thando Consulting & Projects and steering committee member of the CIDB. “If you look at CIDB-registered companies, just 30% are womanowned and awarded just 23% of public sector projects.”

“In addition to being outnumbered, women who work in construction are walking into a world that has long been tailored to men’s needs. The most challenging part of working in the construction industry as

SOUTH AFRICAN WOMEN IN BUSINESS – SOME WORRYING STATISTICS

• 19% of business owners are female (0.2% growth from 2019) • Ranked 45 in the world (below Uganda,

Botswana and Ghana) • Women earn up to 50% less than their male counterparts when performing the same job

a woman is earning the same respect men get for doing the same thing,” explains Phindile Cindy, CEO of PCA Trading and Projects and winner of Project Excellence of the Year, Grade 1 in the 2020 ERWIC Awards.

Enablers

On Women’s Day 2020, President Ramaphosa stated that government would set aside 40% of public procurement to woman-owned businesses in a bid to achieve equality. “However, there are doubts that government has even spent 30% of the budget on woman-owned businesses. Budget needs to be set aside for women,” states Mteto.

“Banks need to prioritise women when giving access to funding and all women should work more closely together and implement peer coaching,” she adds.

Melita Mohlala, an ERWIC Awards judge and CEO of Kopano Creative Concepts, guided attendees through the elements of an award-winning project. She listed critical elements for success, including creativity, innovation, quality workmanship, and presentation of the finished project. “You are only as good as your most recent project,” she says. She also encouraged a focus on projects that have a positive social, developmental and economic impact, while also being legislatively compliant.

In August 2019, President Ramaphosa added an infrastructure mandate to bring all projects together in one place. Infrastructure South Africa (ISA) ensures that there is a single point of entry for all infrastructure projects across the country. Currently, 276 have been submitted and 88 projects are past the feasibility phase. These projects have a total investment value of R2.3 trillion, with an estimated gap cover of R502 billion. Mohlala encourages woman-owned businesses to take advantage of these opportunities.

SMMEs employ around 11 million people and contribute towards half of South Africa’s GDP. As more than half of the population are women, the economy would grow exponentially if the number of woman entrepreneurs increased.

“We need to be more resolute and be unapologetic in our intention to create a bigger space for women in construction. We should accept nothing less than equal opportunities to men. As the famous saying goes: you empower a woman, you empower a family, a community and – indeed – a nation,” concluded Mteto.

THE PANELLISTS:

Sakhile Mkwanazi, business coach, GROW

Kile Mteto, MD, Ntando-Thando Consulting & Projects and steering committee member of the CIDB

Melita Mohlala, CEO, Kopano Creative Concepts and an ERWIC Awards judge

Phindile Cindy, CEO, PCA Trading and Projects and winner of the 2020 ERWIC Award for Project Excellence (Grade 1)

Thobekile Ndlovu, MD of Thobethulani Trading and winner of the 2020 ERWIC Award for Project Excellence (Grade 7)