Driving gender equity for industry success
By Cathryn Greville, CEO, National Association of Women in Construction
There is a critical need to elevate gender equity in boardrooms, workplaces, and policy tables around the country.
Construction is an industry of many contradictions. We need the brightest minds to solve problems and imagine and deliver skyscrapers and infrastructure that are incredible engineering feats – yet fail to recognise the need for workplaces to be safe and happy environments to achieve innovation. We compete for workers with glossy marketing and websites espousing commitment to diversity – yet haven’t nailed the ability to source talent from the whole talent pool. We speak of unsustainably low-cost margins and commercial pressures that challenge business solvency – whilst at the same time ignoring the costs that a non-inclusive or non-engaged workforce saddles on a business.
We see businesses pouring resources into attracting people (the recruitment question) – with far too little thought of what happens once those people join, and what meaningfully supports them staying (the retention question).
Of course, this doesn’t apply to all businesses. But in my experience, it does capture far too many.
And thinking you have it sorted often proves to be the kind of blinkered thinking that leads to business stagnation. Even those already prioritising inclusion are well aware of how much more they have to do.
The impact of poor culture
Far too many leaders fundamentally overlook or misunderstand the way the culture makes or breaks their business. They miss the inherent connection between culture and workforce engagement, teamwork, safety, efficiency, project delivery, risk, and indeed, the bottom line.
Culture is the underlying system of values, beliefs and behaviours that shape an industry and a business. All of those are driven by people.
When we shift our focus to people, we must ask: are we creating environments that are fair, inclusive and respectful? This means where people are treated fairly, according to their needs. Where bias isn’t rampant. Where unacceptable behaviour is prevented and shut down. Where people are valued for their skills and contribution and can succeed regardless of their background.
Ultimately, are we creating workplaces that people want to join and stay?
The attrition problem
The numbers certainly say no. We currently lose a staggering 110,000 people, or eight per cent, of the construction workforce every year. At the same time, we need 400,000 or more people to join over the next five years.
While we face a substantial retirement pool, an ageing workforce is not solely to blame. At the other end of the career spectrum, we are failing dismally to attract enough young people. Apprenticeship commencements are down 22 per cent over the past year, and so are the number of apprentices in training (down two per cent) and completions (down 15 per cent). An astonishing 72 per cent of first year apprentices are dropping out of construction trades altogether.
There are too many things that are simply not working for too many people, driving them out of the sector they chose to join.
The poor experiences of women
There is no segment of the workforce where the impact of poor culture and practices is more evident than the experiences of women. Comprising only 12.4 per cent of the sector, and a mere 3.4 per cent in trades, we simply cannot afford to lose more women. Yet members of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) provide us with intel that makes it easy to see why women are calling time on construction.
Women often face unacceptable conduct such as sexual harassment, bullying and discrimination. Far too many work in businesses that fail to account for family planning or women’s health. Far too few women are in leadership positions or sit at decision-making tables. Gendered stereotypes and failure to support men’s caring responsibilities negatively impacts on women. As does the lack of appropriate toilets and changing facilities on site. Overall, women stand to face a gender pay gap of 31.8 per cent with many likely to be in less secure, lower paid positions and facing limited advancement opportunities.
The impact of poor workplace culture on exit rates is certainly borne out in NAWIC’s recent research, the Not so little things impacting women in construction. We found that microaggressions – those small acts that make women feel less welcome, less valued or less safe – were having significant personal, professional and financial impacts on women. An extraordinary 88 per cent of respondents had experienced microaggressions, with 80 per cent being verbal in nature and 41 per cent coming from supervisors or managers, followed by clients and customers at 38 per cent.
Perhaps most concerning is the lack of accountability within organisations, enabling poor culture and behaviours to continue. 63 per cent of women experiencing microaggressions saw no change after reporting.
The cumulative impact is significant. Eight per cent of female respondents reported leaving the industry entirely due to microaggressions, lack of opportunity, lack of flexibility and poor work culture.
To attract, recruit, retain and promote women, we need an industry that offers a safe and positive workplace culture, an attractive career option, strong career pathways, and inclusive environments that meet the needs of women.
Culture holds the key
Whilst culture is currently the problem, it also is the solution to turning things around. Statistics and research serve little utility unless we use them to understand and drive significant and sustainable change. We must apply a solutions-focus and work together.
It can be said that when it comes to inclusion in construction, it is a crisis not a competition. We stand to gain the most by putting the adversarial nature of the industry aside and working collaboratively to achieve positive culture that benefits everyone.
Far from being an idealistic goal, this form of industry collaboration is underway in construction markets elsewhere. Prior to joining NAWIC, I was based overseas leading a program focused on both organisational diversity and inclusion and the sector-wide behavioural and cultural change required to positively impact outcomes in construction and the built environment. I was fortunate to advise and work directly with a range of businesses to drive cultural change. Culture change can certainly be done, and it must be a priority to meet our current needs.
Here in Australia, NAWIC is leading the gender equity charge to shift stubborn attitudes, address underrepresentation and attract, develop and promote talent. We want to see workplaces that are fair, inclusive and respectful. I am passionate about ensuring women have a strong voice at decision-making tables across the country, and that the sector holds its leaders accountable.
NAWIC’s target areas
As the membership body for women in all facets of construction and supporting sectors, NAWIC is committed to our vision of an equitable construction industry for all.
This year, we are focused on initiatives that action real change, addressing:
Representation – in all its forms, and covering all from attraction to recruitment, retention and promotion to retirement
Industry needs – the opportunities posed by current and future workforce shortages and improvements that can be made across all market segments
Women’s experiences – tackling the pervading issues that limit, impact or keep women out of the sector altogether.
At no time is it more crucial that we make substantive change, and poor cultures that permeate the sector must be addressed head-on.
NAWIC will continue to represent and champion women in the sector whilst pushing for high safety standards: PPE that does what it is meant to; a zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable conduct including sexual harassment, discrimination and microaggressions; proper access to facilities; inclusion for parents; workplace flexibility; attention to women’s health and wellbeing; sharing of both the mental load and the role of caring; and closing the gender pay gap.
Prioritising culture
It’s no exaggeration to say that the addressing the underrepresentation and poor experiences of women in construction is one of the biggest issues facing the sector and should be at the top of all leaders’ minds.
Not only do we need women to support the scale of construction in housing, infrastructure and renewable energy transition for our growing population, but at the fundamental level, women should be participating in, and sharing in, the economic benefit of our industry.
Added to that, bringing in, and keeping women in the workforce offers enormous economic opportunity. Closing the gap in women’s workforce participation nation-wide could increase GDP by a staggering 11 per cent. In an industry that contributes to around nine per cent of GDP employs 8.7 per cent of the national workforce, this should alarm government and business leaders alike.
We need practical long-term culture change that will make meaningful difference to women in the sector – no matter what market segment, business type or role they serve – to make construction an inclusive and meaningful career for everyone.
Join us in prioritising culture and driving the industry forward.
