Women In Construction Week 2021
As part of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, we are honoring our team members who are construction leaders at BKV Group and in the industry as part of Women In Construction Week.
To create awareness for #WomenInConstructionWeek we’ve asked these women to detail their passion for working in the construction industry, in addition to suggestions for improving the lack of gender parity in the industry and the best pieces of advice for an aspiring construction professional.
What do you love about working in the construction industry?
The continuous learning aspect of the profession. The construction industry is full of environments which are constantly expanding your ability to learn. Innovations in the industry constantly generate opportunities for potential learning and reexamination. Working through these professional adaptations is an incredibly rewarding feeling.
Women make up 9% of the construction industry’s workforce, and with WIC Week focused on strengthening and amplifying the success of women, what are your suggestions for improving the lack of gender parity?
Invite more women to your leadership groups. Companies should open up and be more receptive to women working more directly with leadership, bringing a cognitively diverse perspective to improve decision-making. Great minds think differently. Given the opportunities, women can offer unique perspectives and bring invaluable and different styles of problem-solving to the process.
For the next generation and aspiring construction professional, what would be your best piece of advice for starting a career in the field?
Find a mentor. There’s nothing more valuable than the insight and experiences of someone who has been where you have been. Seek out the personalities that see value in empowering the next generation and make their connections. Allow them to introduce you to new things and explain how the profession works There are many people in my life time who have mentored and helped me, and the best way to thank and honor them is to pass on that type of sound mentorship practice.
What do you love about working in the construction industry?
The cradle-to-crate approach. I love the aspect of seeing projects come to life, brick by brick, and being able to understand the process. I also enjoy having contact with people from all walks of life, with everyone coming together to build what we envision.
Women make up 9% of the construction industry’s workforce, and with WIC Week focused on strengthening and amplifying the success of women, what are your suggestions for improving the lack of gender parity?
Acknowledging the benefits. Many times I may find myself as the only woman in the room (though that trend has slowly changed). The simple presence of women in the construction workforce usually translates to more cordial conversations – from all parties – and a deepened respect for everyone’s role, as a well as a sense of common ground towards a resolution, and creating a better space where all opinions are acknowledged.
For the next generation and aspiring construction professional, what would be your best piece of advice for starting a career in the field?
Don’t be afraid to be yourself. There is a stereotype within the field, assuming women in this industry as bold or “more masculine” in nature. Embrace who you are. I believe our role as women is to bring balance and different perspectives to the problem solving, without the need to emulate any of the male leadership approaches. Women can find their path in any work environment they find passion in.
What do you love about working in the construction industry?
I enjoy the dynamic nature of the construction industry. There is an unlimited number of combinations of project teams, site conditions, and building types. This variability makes each project unique with its own set of challenges. These challenges provide me, as a structural engineer, with opportunities for learning and professional development on a weekly (if not daily) basis.
Women make up 9% of the construction industry’s workforce, and with WIC Week focused on strengthening and amplifying the success of women, what are your suggestions for improving the lack of gender parity?
The construction industry must support women and other individuals with diverse experiences along their path to leadership roles. To ensure diverse representation in our industry, it is important for members of younger generations to be able to envision themselves in construction-related leadership positions. As more women become successful leaders in the construction industry, I believe the interest from underrepresented groups will increase.
For the next generation and aspiring construction professional, what would be your best piece of advice for starting a career in the field?
The construction industry puts a high value on experience, so starting a new role can be intimidating. Don’t let that deter you. Feelings of “impostor syndrome” are valid; however, try to focus your energy on learning from interactions with more experienced colleagues.
What do you love about working in the construction industry?
It is a challenging industry with every project bringing new challenges that provides for new learning opportunities. It is a rewarding industry too, primarily because the work we do impacts everyday life of the community from new roads, to building workplaces, to the homes we live in. It is truly rewarding for me to work on a project from the ground up, finish it, and see it functioning, while along the way observing the knowledge the team gained from each other. Also, let us not forget about the economic benefit this industry brings to the community.
Women make up 9% of the construction industry’s workforce, and with WIC Week focused on strengthening and amplifying the success of women, what are your suggestions for improving the lack of gender parity?
Women bring different perspective to solving problems and finding solutions. Often, I have been in meetings with a room of men and I was the only woman. To change and improve that, company’s need to focus on promoting and building skills for women to take more leadership roles and be more involved in decision-making. It’s also important to connect with the younger generation on the high school level, or ideally even earlier, and introduce them to the many benefits and opportunities the construction industry has to offer.
For the next generation and aspiring construction professional, what would be your best piece of advice for starting a career in the field?
Connect with other women who are working in the industry and seek their insight. Let them introduce you to this rich, challenging industry. Don’t be afraid of the challenges, and always believe in yourself and your ability in make a difference and add a positive perspective to the industry.