Construction Needs More Women. Now.
If my industry has one weakness, it is surely its struggle to attract female applicants. Although we understand quite well the roots of the issue, we still are trying to figure out the solution. Yet we already know that the sector would benefit from greater gender balance.
A crucial contribution
I’ve been in the construction industry for over 15 years, and I’ve seen it with my own eyes: there is much to be gained from a stronger female representation. In addition to their high level of skills and training, women tend to bring a certain finesse to our rapports. I don’t want to generalize, but when there are women in the room, communications suddenly become healthier and more harmonious.
Change of image
It goes without saying: for most female candidates, construction is not the industry of choice. The hardest thing is to convince them that they do have their place in this field. At Beaudoin Canada, we’re actively searching recruitment strategies, and we’ve made conscious efforts to attract the best female candidates. We are privileged to have skilled women who lead a distinguished career in our ranks but changing the overall perception of our field will take time.
This is my message to female candidates who hesitate to join our sector: We need you. The more you apply for management/executive positions, the more likely you are to land these jobs, and the more likely is our industry to change for the better.
*In this post, female is used to refer to any individual who identifies as woman.
