Construction Culture is Stuck in the 1980s. Let’s Fix That.

By KIM ALLEN

It won’t exactly shock you to hear me say that, despite some huge leaps in progress, there still aren’t that many women in the construction industry.

At only 15 percent of the overall construction workforce, women are rarely encouraged to join the industry, and many are driven out by toxic company cultures that don’t properly address key issues like gender discrimination or sexual harassment.

It means that it can sometimes feel like this industry is still stuck in the 1980s when so many other fields are in the 21st century.

How did we get here?  

Why was the industry built in this way, and how can we change it going forward?

Today, I’m here to offer some solutions on how to make construction a fairer, more equal industry for everybody by making the effort to rebuild it from the foundations (pun intended).

It’s not controversial to say that construction was an industry built by men, for men.

Australian construction culture was created in a time when it was seen as the default that men are breadwinners, and that they would be the ones to support their families financially.

Though women have always worked outside the home, it was during World War II when men were sent overseas, and women stepped into a variety of physical labor jobs that perspectives on women’s role in the workforce started to change rapidly, as explained by the State Library of Queensland. Though women faced plenty of systemic issues in these roles, it proved that we were willing and capable of working in jobs considered exclusively for men.

Although many industries underwent rapid change because of these changing attitudes, construction was one that remained largely the same. Due to the heavily ingrained, male-dominated culture of the industry, women were simply not presented with the same opportunities as their male counterparts.

Because of this, it’s not just about the numbers. The culture that’s arisen as a result is particularly unwelcoming to women, leaning into many sexist trains of thought that see those of us in construction as “outsiders,” as if we’re still in the 80s.

Why construction remains such a hard industry for women 

Because of this attitude, women face both obvious and more subtle challenges in construction that men don’t.

Our ability to do the work is constantly questioned by both co-workers and clients, meaning that we don’t feel respected by our peers. I know, because this has happened to me; when I started as an accidental office manager at CRA Construction, I often felt like my decisions weren’t being properly listened to or respected.

On top of that, women face outright discrimination and harassment in the industry, too. A report by the NSW Building Commission found that 70 percent of women who left the industry had experienced gender discrimination, and 50 percent had suffered sexual harassment.

These statistics are unacceptable and paired with the constant doubting of our abilities – especially for the brave women doing trades – it creates an environment where it’s a battle every day for us to be accepted.

This is why it feels like the 1980s. We’ve made the bounds in equality to give women the right to work in construction, but the industry culture is stuck in a mindset that makes us feel unwelcome and like we don’t belong here.

Equality isn’t just women’s work  

It’s my mission to change this culture and inspire women to take charge of their careers in construction confidently.

However, the truth is that women can’t be the only drivers of change in this process. We need everybody – men and women at all levels – to change their attitudes towards our place in construction.

The idea that women can’t keep up with men physically in this industry is outdated. I can lift and keep up with any member of my team because I prioritize my physical and mental wellbeing. Men need to stop pampering women and allow us the chance to prove ourselves.

Besides, construction is so much more than just physical labor. We need electricians, painters, plasterers, and many more tradespeople whose skills go beyond just strength, and women need to know that they can also excel in these fields.

We can begin by showing girls that this is a possible career path at a young age and by reinforcing the idea that a woman can deliver work of the same quality as her male coworkers.

There’s no doubt it’ll be hard. It’ll require all of us to have some uncomfortable conversations about how we view women in the industry and reflect on why we were taught these things.

But it’s only by working together that we can give the construction industry a full-scale renovation and make women feel more included.

Join me in my mission to change the game 

I really do love the construction industry, which is why I want to see it change for the better.

No matter who you are, I’d like to invite you on my mission to smash the walls that have kept women out of construction and build new ones with doorways that welcome us in.

Let’s all work together to shape change in this industry that we love.

Kim Allen is the CEO and co-owner of CRA Construction.