Gender diversity is our next great challenge

As an engineer, I am conscious every day of the astonishing work of so many great men and women who have developed new ways to tunnel at great depths, build bridges that span whole harbours and construct buildings that tower above us all.  

 The construction industry loves overcoming a challenge, it is what we do best. And as someone who leads a business that embraces purposeful technology and the power of experienced people to deliver for our clients and the communities in which we operate, I am fortunate to see this can-do attitude alive and well across our projects and others across the country and beyond.  

But while we have much to be proud of, I fear we are not transparent or vocal enough about the areas we need to improve and apply our can-do attitude to. Last year the Workplace Gender Equality Agency revealed our industry was ranked as the second worst when it comes to the gender pay gap and that gap is getting larger. And today, less than 20 per cent of the construction industry workforce is made up of women.  

 It is clear to me that we need an intervention to turn this around because things are not working as they are. Achieving better gender inclusion must be our next great challenge as an industry to overcome.  

 Diversity targets are blunt instruments, but they work. As a business we set ourselves the challenge of lifting the proportion of women in senior project roles to 15 per cent by 2020. After exceeding our goal, we have lifted it again to 25 per cent by 2025.  

 I simply cannot accept the notion that construction is an industry for men, just as many would rightly reject the notion that Health Care is an industry just for women. Construction is so much more than high vis, “reo” steel and concrete. We are building the schools that will support great minds of the future, safer roads that will connect communities, and better hospitals and research facilities that will pave the way out of the pandemic.  

 We need to think differently about our industry and help younger women to do the same. Last week Laing O’Rourke launched our third STEM+ school program in partnership with Sydney Girls High School. The program is designed to help young women change their perception of construction by providing opportunities for these students to engage directly with our industry and see the depth of opportunities that exist for long and rewarding careers for both men and women.  

 While a greater focus on gender diversity is clearly opening new career opportunities for women that they may never have considered, it is also good for our business. As we all shift towards greater automation to drive productivity, having a creative and diverse workforce has become more important than ever in identifying the best solutions to the most challenging projects.

With our current rate of gender inclusion, real change will take time and rely on good will and sustained investment from the whole industry to succeed. Laing O’Rourke is investing in programs like STEM+ because we want to play an active role in helping more women discover and build their own future in construction, delivering the roads, bridges, and great buildings of the future – but more holistically understanding that this is what enables our wider society at large.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GoT0WT2wzI