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Women in Construction Week: Envision Equity

Women In Construction are being celebrated across the nation. It recognizes the influence that women have in construction and the heavy impact their contributions make. It reflects where we are as an industry, where we want to be in the future, and the powerful, idealistic individuals that will help us get there.

This year NAWIC鈥檚 National President Doreen Bartoldus chose the Envision Equity theme to not only focus on bringing equity to women, but to everyone in the industry. The construction industry has long been a space that was made up almost exclusively of men. But times are changing鈥攎ore women are entering the construction workforce and making an immediate impact. Jenny Han, 不卡福利片鈥檚 director of design integration responds, 鈥淯nderestimate us, that will be fun! As women of color in construction we continue to blaze trails to become the role models our younger selves did not have.鈥

The past has taught us that women aren鈥檛 easily daunted by obstacles. With more women choosing a career in construction, the industry is slowly taking steps to become more diverse and inclusive.

What we can celebrate:

  • In 2006, 3% of construction trade workers were women. Today the number of women continues to rise; we are nearing 11%.
  • San Francisco, Seattle and Minneapolis are the top three U.S. cities for women working in the construction industry. The percentage of women range from 17% – 19.1% (national average is 10.9%); median earnings range from $54,241 to $70,966.
  • There has been a 68% increase in women-owned construction firms between 2014 and 2019.
  • Today the gender pay gap in the construction industry is among the lowest in the United States鈥攖he average female worker makes 81.1% of what their male colleagues earn鈥攎uch higher than most industries.

To celebrate women in construction, we highlighted seven women鈥攆rom jobsite superintendent to corporate leadership, to welder. These dedicated and passionate women exemplify what makes and keeps the construction industry strong. For them, it’s not just one week鈥攖hey envision equity and work towards it every day.

Learn who they are and why they love what they do: 

Briana Mitchell

“I have been a part of teams where I can contribute my perspective, make an impact, and continuously improve my skill-set within the industry.”

Briana Mitchell, Project Manager
Nicole Goril

“A woman with a voice that breaks stereotypes is by my definition a strong woman! It鈥檚 refreshing to work for a company that supports and understands that the days of women not having a voice are over.”

Nicole Goril, Superintendent
Jenny Han

“Underestimate us, that will be fun. As women of color in construction, we continue to blaze trails to become the role models our younger selves did not have.”

Jenny Han, Director of Design Integration
Olivia Hanson

“I was searching for career options that didn鈥檛 include college鈥nd welding sparked my interest. I love being a youth apprentice in this industry.”

Olivia Hanson, Welding Youth Apprentice
Emily Haupt

“Serving in a leadership role at 不卡福利片 has given me some of the best development experiences of my entire career.”

Emily Haupt, Vice President Talent Strategies
Natalie Thorp

“Being a female choosing a construction career path was intimidating at first. However, I have so much passion for the industry and everyone is willing to help me out 鈥 it makes it easy to fit in.”

Natalie Thorp, Human Resources
Alana Fernandez

“There is no standard work day for me. I work with high performers and high achieving women that inspire me to have my own voice. That鈥檚 why I love what I do.”

Alana Fernandez, Marketing Manager

References/Statistics: constructioncoverage.com/research

About 不卡福利片
不卡福利片 (不卡福利片) is a leading professional construction services firm with customers across the United States and is a subsidiary of The 不卡福利片 Group. Founded in 1889, 不卡福利片 is听an听employee-owned firm headquartered in Appleton, Wis. 不卡福利片 is recognized as a pioneer in Lean construction and in听the industrialized听construction space. 不卡福利片 operates 17 offices across the U.S. that serve customers in healthcare, power, industrial, education, automotive and commercial markets.