Celebrating Women's History Month - My Thoughts.

I am continually inspired by women's accomplishments. There are so many fields where women are making incredible contributions to business, society, culture, and much more. Truth be told, the contributions are so extensive, there really should be a celebration every month.

If I could personalize the celebration for a minute, let's talk construction. It's what I know best and where I can verify the great work women are doing. I'm lucky enough to work with and for incredibly accomplished women.

Recently, there have been some great posts here on LinkedIn by?Devcon Construction,?XL Construction, and others highlighting the outstanding work by women on their teams. But how did these women get these opportunities to shine? In many situations, the women themselves forged their opportunities through sheer will and determination. Maybe in others, someone saw how great they were or could be and assisted them in securing a great opportunity.

But it isn't easy in construction. For centuries, women have faced stern challenges in the construction industry.

"Women have always worked in construction, even in ancient times. And, when you add a little imagination to?accounts about ancient building sites, stories like this emerge. A gang of women toiled in the August heat, thankful for occasional sips of water from a clay jug. Ten carried lime for mortar while 13 others hacked out foundation trenches from dense, stoney soil. The project: a?new cloister?for a church in Navarra Spain.

Their thanks for a 12-hour day on this 13th century construction jobsite included bread and wine somewhere out of sight because they were considered one of the lowest of society’s classes. These female workers faced an existence of hard labor or slavery simply because they were unmarried or very poor. In those days, poverty was seen as punishment for sinning. The more fortunate women working on construction sites handled tasks like sculpting, painting or weaving tapestries." - Duane Craig, Jobsite, March 12, 2018.

From a lack of recognition to a lack of resources, to gender bias, to harassment on the job, the list is long in this male-dominated industry. A Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report in 2023 revealed that only 10.8% of construction workers in the United States are women. Plus, women in construction are only 1.25% (1.25%!) of the total workforce - despite the fact that women are 48% of all people employed.

These numbers shock the hell out of me, and I hope you, too - and spur you to take critical action.

So, what to do about it? I do not believe that it is just a matter of time before women catch up. I believe change is intentional. For, without intent, very little change ever happens. There's a myriad of programs to promote women's talents in the construction industry, to create opportunities, etc. Progress is good but way too slow.

For me, it comes down to this: "we need more women on our teams, in our construction company, let's hire more women!" That must be the clarion call. Sounds simple - and it really is that simple. The complexity comes in how best to do it. Consistently.

I'm going to celebrate Women's History Month every month.

#womenempowerment