Demographic shifts favor women in construction

‘‘This means that the industry and the associations which serve it must change their organizational culture in terms of attracting and retaining a more diverse membership,” Murphy wrote.

‘‘As a member of the ABC National Diversity Committee, I have seen ABC take great strides in recognizing the need to invest greater and greater resources in seeking to diversity their membership, which is not only great news for women, but racial and cultural minorities, as well.”

Construction is one of the nation’s largest industries, employing about 7.7 million people, about 10 percent of whom are women, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Economic growth is projected to expand employment in many non-traditional occupations for women, such as construction, due to strong demand for workers in these fields stemming from projected retirements or transfers of current workers to other occupations.

To promote the role of women in the construction industry, the National Association of Women in Construction in Fort Worth, Texas, has formal partnering agreements with many organizations throughout the country, including the American Road and Transportation Builders, Construction Financial Management Association and Army Corps of Engineers. The national Associated Builders and Contractors organization and the women’s association have renewed their partnership agreement and commitment to create opportunities for women and business for women-owned construction firms.

Jean Maisel, chairwoman of the Women in ABC committee for the Baltimore Metro chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors and an executive with JDL Electric in Baltimore, said, ‘‘In my company they understand the workforce is changing, whether it’s men, women or different ethnic groups. As a small company, our opportunity to bring someone in is limited, but the avenue we are going through as an employer [and] contractor is to promote those opportunities for community and they allow me to work on that.

‘‘We work with the school system to encourage students about careers in construction,” Maisel said. ‘‘And we need to re-educate the educators, that the construction industry is not a castoff career. And as the industry evolves we realize the workforce is coming from different places and we have to fulfill that need.

‘‘One of the things about our industry ... is that we are charged with preserving the past, maintaining the present and building the future. And you want to have the best quality of worker doing it. Whether it’s a man or woman or what ethnic group is not a factor. It’s whether someone who has a passion for the work is what is important.”