Women on the
Rise
Despite the industry still being male-dominated, women are trailblazing their way in construction
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY HILTON HEAD AREA HOME BUILDERS ASSOCIATION
I The local NAHB chapter of Professional Women in Building provides women in the construction industry opportunities for networking, education and professional development.
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sn’t construction for boys? It’s an idea we’ve assumed for a long time, but the simple answer is no. Today, women make up around 14% of the construction industry professionals and that number is steadily rising. In the past 10 years, the upward growth of women employed in construction has increased 54% overall. The growing number of women choosing a career in construction is shattering ideas about gender specific roles. 37% of the women entering the field of construction who have higher education degrees are female, and the reason is simple. For women, it’s an open field
with many rewards and benefits and plenty of room for career progression and development. Employers in construction are catching on, too, by offering more training and hiring opportunities specifically to women. According to builderonline.com, “The majority of women are employed in sales or office roles (38.6%); however, this is almost the same amount as those holding management and professional level jobs (37%).” Another notable step in the right direction is the small gender pay gap. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that across all industries, women earn 81.5% of what men do. However, in construction, women’s
