Women In Construction Industry

Women in the Construction Industry

Introduction

Over the years, the construction industry has been mainly patriarchal. The image of the construction industry is slowly changing into a field where more women are getting involved. For quite some time, the construction industry has been among the lowest level of gender diversity in the workforce. As of 2017, less than 15% of all construction workers were women in Canada (Table 1) and data regarding LGBTQ workers is not available. According to Statistics Canada, as of 2017 the total number of men in the construction field was 1,234.6 million, whereas for women were only 174.8 million (Table 1). In all OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) and partner countries, women significantly outnumber men in education while men dominate women in industries such as engineering, manufacturing and construction in both fields of study and the labour market (Normandeau & Park, 2017). This is significant because it demonstrates that women are aptly suited for this career, and yet it is male dominated. Moreover, these fields have a higher employment rate but also has the greatest differences between the employment rates of men and women to date.

The data does not give statistics on application versus hiring rates between genders, so while only 174.8 million women got hired (Table 1), it is possible there were only 174.8 million applicants. Without further data we cannot see the full extent of parasitism in the construction industry, so it is important to look at other factors that may impact these low employment rates among