The construction industry has long been one dominated by men. While female representation is low, there are growing efforts nationwide to increase the female share of workers in the industry. Progress has been made in the past decade, the Journal Gazette and Times-Courier reports; however, female representation figures are still low. A partnership between New York organizations is attempting to encourage women to pursue construction work and increase their share in the labor pool.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics found women represent only 3.4%, or about 285,000, of the nation's 8.3 million construction workers. Over the last decade, the total number of women in the construction industry has risen by about 31%.
One program in New York City addresses the gender gap head-on, kickstarting recruits' training while gaining a promise from unions to try to reserve 15% of on-site apprenticeships for women. The Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York is working with a nonprofit group, Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW), which runs a pre-apprenticeship program for women who want to become plumbers, electricians, carpenters, and members of other trades.
Since 2013, about 1,500 apprentices have come out of NEW's tuition-free trade school, housed in a former firehouse in Manhattan. They spend seven weeks being introduced to basics in such skills as carpentry and electrical work, as well as using a measuring tape to execute a design and mathematical equations to accurately match materials into a space. Similar programs have popped up in Illinois, Vermont, Oregon, Wisconsin and Washington state.
It's clear the industry has a long road ahead to even out its gender discrepancy—one that is hardly surprising for a job often characterized by male workers whistling at women who walk past job sites—despite a push from the #MeToo movement that is leading to sweeping changes in many occupations around the globe.
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