As it stands, women make up only about 11% of the construction industry workforce and only 2.5% of all tradespeople in the U.S. While these numbers have been slowly climbing over the past few decades — from just over 600,000 in 1985 to well over 1 million in the early 2000s — there are still plenty of challenges to face. Because of this, groups like The National Association of Women in Construction and Professional Women in Construction have dedicated themselves to empowering, educating, and employing women in this historically male-dominated industry.
The construction industry is one of the largest and fastest growing industries in the U.S. Nearly 5% of the American workforce is in construction. But why should we care how much of that 5% is comprised of women?
Multiple studies show that companies with greater gender diversity repeatedly outperform their less diverse competitors. When women make up at least 30% of executive level positions, companies are 48% more likely to succeed; that’s kind of incredible.
So, how do we pave the way for more women to make construction their career?
The first step, and possibly the most difficult, is to eradicate the centuries-old gender bias that women are less capable than men.
Furthermore, we must celebrate and support the women currently in the industry. We must make it clear to young women that not only is there a place for them in the industry, there’s a need. Women in Construction Week, started by the National Association of Women in Construction back in 1998, does just that. And, thanks in part to such efforts, the numbers are, however slowly, rising. Today, 13% of all construction companies in the US are owned by women. That’s a 64% increase since 2014.
At Nuway, we’re proud that women make up 33% of our executive team and 26% of our staff. And we hope to see those numbers continue to grow.
We are always looking to add talent to our team. If you are interested in applying for a position, submit your resume online.
"I really enjoyed working with the Nuway team. From the very beginning, I had a good feeling about the quality approach Nuway takes. In the beginning, thorough planning helped us to keep change orders to a minimum and kept us on track with the budget. One really important thing is, Nuway promised to deliver our building in early September, and we were able to move in a week early."
