The construction industry, once male-dominated, now includes increasing numbers of female engineers.

Women, like Indonesia's Nirwana Selle, are succeeding in male-dominated fields such as crane operation.

The International Maritime Organization and the Arab Academy promote global gender equality in the maritime sector.

Women make up 14.1 percent of the US construction workforce, but often face sexual harassment and unequal treatment on sites.

Companies like Leighton offer paid leave, flexible work policies, and support networks to promote diversity and inclusion for female employees.

Technology has made construction projects more efficient, enabling women to participate and bring complementary skills to construction teams.

Female engineers bring skills like empathy and organizational abilities that benefit project management.

The construction industry can benefit from a more diverse workforce by promoting greater gender equality.

Diverse teams drive innovation and growth through gender parity and inclusivity in construction.

Inclusion and diversity can increase earnings by 25% or more in construction companies.

Construction companies can increase diversity by updating policies, reducing language barriers, and partnering with minority-owned businesses.

Automation and digital transformation can increase productivity and improve workplace inclusivity in construction companies.

Better PPE for women and 3D printing advancements can increase safety, inclusivity, and opportunities for women.

Support systems, training, and mentorship can help women excel in technical and non-traditional roles.

On-the-job training programs can attract and retain women in non-traditional construction roles, helping to address underrepresentation.

Women can excel in construction with their attention to detail and design skills, and rise to leadership with determination and hard work.

The construction industry must attract and retain women to combat its chronic labor shortage.

The construction industry, once male-dominated, now includes increasing numbers of female engineers.

Title:

Content: Hong Kong Wen
Ephesians 2
Female flag bearer of Sports Park: Construction industry is no longer a male monopoly
[Ming Pao News] Kai Tak Sports Park, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year, completed the installation of 27,000 triangular panels on the outer wall last month, and the whole project was completed about 85%, entering the final construction stage.
In the past, society thought that engineering was male-dominated work. The situation has improved greatly in the past 10 years. Today is International Women ’ s Day. Three “English and Female ” who have participated in the Kai Tak Sports Park project since the end of 2019 said that the proportion of men and women in the construction industry has been balanced, and the number of female engineers who have really“ landed ” has increased. The team can play a complementary role.
The Senior Chief Architect of Kwan Sin Ming Architects & Associates, Sin Yee Yan, has to communicate with various professionals in the team, including architectural design companies, contractors and government departments, to ensure that the various buildings and facilities in the park are constructed in accordance with the Buildings Ordinance and relevant laws.
New Attempt Friction Mostly Centering Harmonization Smooth
The biggest challenge is how to connect the triangular panels on the outer wall of the main stadium. Since there are few circular buildings in the area, many site personnel, engineers and even she have not been involved in the installation process.
She recalled that she had examined the fire control system in the dungeon of another project, Hong Kong Children ’ s Hospital, at a high temperature of 36 ° C, and she understood the hard work of the heat work, which led her to consider from the other side, and finally, the external wall of the main stadium was successfully completed with her coordination.
Chow Ya-kee, project manager (design management) of the sports park, who is mainly responsible for the design and construction of outdoor space in the park, believes that a stronger female empathy is the biggest advantage and can better coordinate the needs of all parties; plus, as the mother of two children, can understand the needs of children and parents.
For example, a children ’ s play area is set up in the outdoor space of the park, and safety measures will be examined from the perspective of parents, such as avoiding sharp design, installing iron gates in appropriate positions to reduce the chance of loss, etc.
She said that many people think that construction workers are more rough, and actual workers often take care of their female colleagues.
Take care of your female colleagues.
In the past, many drawings were hand-drawn, but now many are digitized. Women tend to be more careful and have stronger organizational skills to ensure the smooth implementation of projects.
Ming Pao reporters
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How has the gender balance in the construction and maritime industries changed over recent decades?

How has the level of discrimination for female employees in the construction industry changed over recent decades?

What are construction and maritime companies doing to promote and aid women in the field?

appoint women to traditionally male roles

commit to gender equality in hiring practices

Women, like Indonesia's Nirwana Selle, are succeeding in male-dominated fields such as crane operation.

Title:

Content: Horror movie! Girl opens a crane and becomes a KOL to go to work. She is burned in a smelter furnace explosion.
Author: Leonard
Published: Updated:
A few days ago in Indonesia, a smelter explosion accident occurred, a furnace suddenly exploded in the factory, the fire broke out, and the crane girl at the scene, Nirwana Selle, confirmed that she was buried in the sea of fire.
Online spread the scene of the horror film, because the female network red was working at night, the crane was affected by the fire after the explosion, and Red Nivana was trapped in the driver's seat and could not escape, and the people at the scene were scared to say that she would be burned to death.
Police confirmed that in addition to Nivana, another worker died and are investigating the cause of the accident.
Nivana's mother was heartbroken when interviewed, saying that her daughter was a hardworking person, and that she had left her hometown to earn money to support her family after graduating from high school, and many netizens went to her social platform to mourn.
Nirwanaaa often shares daily cranes on social platforms. (Image from “nirwanaaa _ 55 ” IG)
Nivana works as a crane operator, and often shares her daily work on IG, which makes her popular with netizens.
The scene of the incident was streamed on the Internet, and the footage was believed to be that of Nivana trapped in the crane driving room. The cab fire was fierce and the smoke was blazing, and the picture was so frightening that someone said that people in the cab would be burned to death.
Due to the high position of the crane operated by Nivana, it was difficult to evacuate at once, and the workers were unable to help.
Nirwanaaa works as a crane operator and often shares her daily work on IG. (Image from “nirwanaaa _ 55 ” IG)
+ 6
Police have confirmed that two workers died in the accident, including Nivana.
Police said that the fire was caused by one of the smelters inside the smelter explosion, the fire spread rapidly, and Nivana's crane was near the accident site, and she and another person were trapped in the fire.
The fire was extinguished in the morning, and Nivana, trapped in the crane driver's seat, was found lifeless.
The cause of the accident is being investigated.
Images can be disturbing:
+ 5
Nivana ’ s mother revealed that her daughter wanted to leave her hometown to work after graduating from high school, she moved out of the country for 1 year before waiting for the opportunity to be hired in the smelter to open a crane, when the initial salary is not known, so far has worked for 15 months.
She said that Nivana worked hard, rarely came home, and worked hard to make money for her family.
(Integrated)

How has the gender balance in the construction and maritime industries changed over recent decades?

How has the level of discrimination for female employees in the construction industry changed over recent decades?

What are construction and maritime companies doing to promote and aid women in the field?

appoint women to traditionally male roles

The International Maritime Organization and the Arab Academy promote global gender equality in the maritime sector.

Title:

Content: The two institutions will promote gender equality in the areas of education, training and research in the maritime sector
Dubai, United Arab Emirates: The Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT) and the Arab Women in Maritime Association (AWIMA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) headquarters in London to explore opportunities for women ’ s participation in academia to support and strengthen the regional maritime sector.
The agreement is in line with the efforts of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to achieve gender equality in the maritime sector globally, and the fifth goal of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals on gender equality.
The MoU was signed by H.E. Eng. Hessa Al Malik, Advisor to the Minister for Maritime Transport Affairs at the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, President of the Arab Women Association in the Maritime Sector, and H.E. Prof. Dr. Ismail Abdel Ghaffar Ismail Faraj, President of the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport.
Promotion of gender equality
Through this partnership, the two institutions will advocate and encourage other IMO member states to actively support the development of the Arab Women in Maritime Association, and call on states to work in an integrated manner with national bodies responsible for gender equality, to ensure reporting on compliance with the SDGs.
It will also encourage the participation of women at all levels related to education, training and research in the maritime sector, in addition to supporting national mechanisms for the employment of women in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and any future goals set by the United Nations within the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
H.E. Eng. Hessa Al Malik, Advisor to the Minister for Maritime Transport Affairs at the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure and President of the Arab Women in Maritime Association, said: “The maritime sector has witnessed gradual transformations over the past years in terms of the inclusion of women in the workforce.
IMO has been a key driving force behind this change, with its commitment to addressing the gender imbalance in the maritime sector through an integrated institutional framework.
In addition to the efforts of governments, we all have to shoulder our responsibilities, whether it ’ s policy makers, business owners, ship operators, stakeholders or even specialists.
Our collaboration with the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT) is part of our ongoing efforts to make the maritime sector an inclusive and inclusive one. AASTMT has a long history of training ambitious female maritime professionals and has always inspired them. ”
Encouraging the participation of Arab women
For his part, Prof. Dr. Ismail Abdel Ghaffar Ismail Faraj, President of the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, said: “We are honored to cooperate with the Association of Arab Women in the Maritime Sector to promote national and regional recognition of the active contributions of Arab women in the development of the maritime economy.
When the IMO Gender Diversity Programme was first launched in 1988, only a few maritime training institutes accepted female students into classes.
Since then, the capacity-building and diversity programme at IMO has helped to develop an institutional framework for integrating gender equality into IMO policies and procedures.
Today, along with the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, there are many institutions that are keen to attract male and female talent, and this is the first step to making the maritime sector free of gender bias.
Next comes the importance of spreading awareness about the unlimited opportunities available to women and taking responsibility at the individual level to avoid any discrimination on the basis of sex. ”
In addition, the two institutions will encourage the maritime sector and all its stakeholders to establish and strengthen gender-neutral operational frameworks that concretely support women ’ s opportunities in terms of employment, employment, career advancement, employability and advancement to the highest levels in line with their experience and qualifications. the maritime sector and its activities.
# Government Data
- Done.

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Women make up 14.1 percent of the US construction workforce, but often face sexual harassment and unequal treatment on sites.

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Content: Daytime Plus
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Women break into construction sector to fill labour shortages
Bloomberg: The number of construction workers in the United States exceeded 1 million in May last year, for the first time since data collection began in 1964, and the share of women among workers in the sector reached its highest level at 14.1 percent last month.
About a third of construction workers in the United States are Hispanic, according to BLS.
Cerato herself got to know the industry at an early age through her Mexican immigrant father, saying, “I used to go out to work with him, and I never saw anyone like me, so it never occurred to me that it could be a viable career path. ”
The presence of another Latina as a mentor made a big difference, she said, adding: “That ’ s why our representation is important. ”
One of the women is Andy Dirkschneider, who negotiates millions of dollars in loans to buy land for her family ’ s homebuilder, but sometimes vendors call her “petite ” and ask to speak to the man in charge.
Dirkschneider, 32, who heads Brookline Homes in Charlotte, said: “I tell them I ’ m the man in charge.
A young blonde girl doing this job confuses everyone.
It ’ s frustrating, but it can ’ t be allowed to. ”
Dirkschneider and thousands of women like her are breaking through the walls of the professions.
It is not brittle, it is concrete.
The field of construction has always been a world for men, from handicrafts such as construction and carpentry to the offices of developers and executive companies.
The accelerating wave of retirement of the 1960s and 1970s generation has exacerbated the industry ’ s chronic labor shortage.
Construction jobs totaled 440,000 in April, the highest in Bureau of Labor Statistics records that began in 2001.
Aryan Higuish, a senior researcher and fellow at the Women ’ s Policy Research Institute, said there is room for growth, because the construction sector ’ s historical dependence on men now risks constraining its growth.
The institute estimates that about a third of women in the industry work in deals, and their share across sectors such as painting and carpentry is still as small as a tenth, though Higuish believes it will continue to grow.
This is partly because of the need for labor and because states and local administrations want to see more diversity in companies when they are awarded contracts.
Patrice Haley, of the diversity leadership team at construction giant DPR, said: “In this industry, we can ’ t dismiss people on the basis of gender.
“A lot of veterans are retiring, and we can ’ t leave any of the doors closed. ”
One of the temptations for women in the industry, Haley said, was to see what they were building right in front of their eyes, and she had started working in the industry in a manual job that required wearing a helmet and toe boots.
She said, "I can say I worked on this and built that."
There ’ s also the temptation to pay better than many other jobs that don ’ t require a college degree: In 2021, the average salary of an electrician was $59,000 and $98,500 for a construction manager, according to U.S. Department of Labor data.
Taqiya Wallace, 35, works for a large energy company in tracking construction project documents.
But she dreams of getting a license as a general contractor to start working on her own.
In June, I began studying building skills in a 16-week curriculum organized by Goodwill Industries in South Piedmont, Charlotte, where I learned to read blueprints and handle equipment.
If all goes according to plan, she will finish training with four industry certifications.
Although Goodwill does not target women, its organizers say a group of 15 people who completed training last year were all women, about half of whom went on to work in industry jobs.
Wallace, who was the first to receive a college degree in her family, sees getting a contractor ’ s license and hanging a sign for her company as a way to build the wealth she can bequeath to her family.
She said, “I want to be able to tell them this is our legacy. ”
Harassment and discrimination
Despite these encouraging trends, the sector still has a long way to go.
About a quarter of respondents to a survey of 2,635 workers conducted by the Women ’ s Policy Research Institute last year said they had experienced sexual harassment or repeated harassment on the basis of sex.
Half of those surveyed said that their lack of equal treatment by men was frequent or persistent.
Jenny Parker stood at a construction site in High Point, North Carolina, on a very hot day in July, grabbing a paper cup with an iced drink as she looked at her sawdust, paint and sweat stained shirt and said, "I love this.
It took me 10 years to get here. ”
Parker, who spent nine years in the Marine Corps, was upset by the managerial jobs she worked so she could pay her bills while raising her daughter, so she started working hard in real estate.
She signed up for training in building skills so she could repair the rental housing she owned.
At High Point, Parker received hands-on training in building house structures, performing stone work, and installing roofs.
She said she was able to work in partnership with the men on the team, but there were tensions at times, adding: “To be female in a male environment you have to prove yourself and work twice as hard, ” noting that some men do not accept instructions from a woman.
She said, “It ’ s a mindset that men should overcome. ”
Nicole Goulsby, owner of Red Ladder Residential, a construction company in Raleigh, North Carolina, recalls that when she started running worksites, some men ignored her when she addressed them.
She said her experience of bias faded when she distributed her signed paychecks, and she now notes that there are more women on the crews she contracts, whether they ride boards or paint.
Golsby explained that women build relationships easily and are more attentive to details, making them suitable for her field of work.
Nicknamed “Becky Nicky, ” Golsby said,“ I see things that no one else sees, and that ’ s why I do my job well. ”
The construction industry is also attracting more minority women.
An analysis by the Women ’ s Policy Research Institute found that the number of female construction apprentices between 2016 and 2019 nearly doubled, while Latinas recorded the largest increase of any race.
If we look at Ferridiana Cerato who graduated from college in 2020 with a double major in history and Spanish without being able to find any job that would enable her to benefit from her education well, she decided to try construction management.
Cerato took courses and received some certificates, including a certificate in welding.
She is now a project engineer in Indianapolis.
The job requires toughness, the 24-year-old says, with a lot of conversational “that doesn ’ t conform to HR rules ” and dealing with cynicism at times.
Cerato is one of three women in a team of nine managers and the only Latina among them.
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How has the gender balance in the construction and maritime industries changed over recent decades?

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attitudinal biases
sexual and workplace harrassment

Companies like Leighton offer paid leave, flexible work policies, and support networks to promote diversity and inclusion for female employees.

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Content: Leighton looks to revolutionize construction to promote a diverse and inclusive work environment
Contract 14: 00 2022 / 07 / 05
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When it comes to the construction industry, many people will immediately think of a group of "real men of workers" who work day and night on the ground sweating like rain, forming a gender stereotype.
Leighton Asia (Leighton), which has been based in Hong Kong for more than 46 years, hopes to transform the male dominated image of the construction industry and create a diverse and inclusive working environment to inspire creativity and enhance team performance.
Leighton is an international construction company with parent company CIMIC Group based in Australia and team members from different countries.
Diversity and inclusion are the core values of the Group, regardless of the gender, age, race, cultural background, marital status or family status of employees, so that each employee can play their role in a diverse, equal and respectful work environment.
Creating a Family-Friendly Work Environment
As the times change, more and more women choose to enter the construction industry, Leighton has been continuously optimizing the working environment and policies to meet the development and needs of employees.
Among them, Leighton is a pioneer in the industry, providing employees with paid maternity leave and paternity leave that exceed the statutory requirements, and with flexible work policies, allowing employees to pursue their careers while taking care of their families.
Attracting female professionals to join the industry
Leighton also established the WOICE (Women in Construction and Engineering) network to enhance the care and support of employees, provide more training and further training opportunities, and work with different organizations to share the career development of women in the industry and attract women to join the construction industry.
WOICE covers all employees and enhances employee care and support.
Leighton currently employs about 20% of its workforce in Hong Kong.
Through recruitment and promotion, the company aims to achieve equal gender representation of interns and trainee engineers in the future, and to increase the proportion of female executives to more than 20%.
Leighton actively leads the industry in promoting a diverse and inclusive working environment to attract more women to join the construction industry.
Building an inclusive and diverse working environment is just one part of Leighton ’ s corporate social responsibility, and we will continue to work on different indicators to achieve sustainable development and bring more benefits to the community.
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How has the level of discrimination for female employees in the construction industry changed over recent decades?

What are construction and maritime companies doing to promote and aid women in the field?

What positive experiences are highlighted in the personal stories of successful women in construction and maritime industries, especially of female crane operators?

support and assistance from management
being able to combine work and family

Technology has made construction projects more efficient, enabling women to participate and bring complementary skills to construction teams.

How has the gender balance in the construction and maritime industries changed over recent decades?

How has the level of discrimination for female employees in the construction industry changed over recent decades?

Female engineers bring skills like empathy and organizational abilities that benefit project management.

The construction industry can benefit from a more diverse workforce by promoting greater gender equality.

Title:

Content: 3 women helping build tallest residential building on Florida's West Coast: 'I want my name on that'

A tall building under construction in Downtown St. Petersburg is a point of pride for one woman under a hardhat.

"Because it's going to be the tallest [residential] building on the West Coast of Florida and I want my name on that," said Daniela Farias, a recent USF Civil Engineering graduate.

Farias, Sofia Menacho, and Sydney Rocha are among the relatively few women in a field long dominated by men. According to one industry group, only 10 percent of construction industry workers are female.

"I think they may be a little bit discouraged to join this field because of the low numbers.," explained Rocha, a recent architecture graduate.

Daniela Farias and Sydney Rocha work in the construction industry.

All three women are working to help build The Residences at 400 Central. Eventually, the building will rise 46 stories.

READ: New high rise apartment building coming soon to downtown Tampa

Suffolk Construction is in charge of the project, overseeing many subcontractors working in different trades.

"I work with the concrete subcontractors putting in all the steel and the rebar and also the mechanical and electrical and plumbing trees," said Farias.

All three women are in Suffolk's Career Start program. The goal is to diversify the workforce.

"People from different backgrounds, different cultures, different educations, they all bring a wealth of knowledge and experiences that diversify who we are and make us better as a company," said Chris Lewis, Suffolk's Project Executive.

Getting more women in hardhats depends on more girls taking more math, science, and technology courses in school.

READ: Trader Joe’s to open Palm Harbor store

"If a young girl has a role model to look up to, if they see that it's more common, then I think more women would be encouraged to be in the field," shared Farias.

Some say women could be especially valuable because they are better with details, organizing, and design. Whether that's true or not, the thrill of the build seems to cut across the genders.

"I started here in July, and we were on the second floor," said Menacho. "Now we're on the 24th floor. It's amazing."

With a labor shortage in the industry, Suffolk and other companies are looking to fill jobs that were once virtually "men only" with qualified women. As new buildings rise, old barriers could be coming down.

"I think I never had that in my head that I can't do something," said Farias.

Efforts to recruit women may signal a changing mindset in the new buildings that are changing our skyline.

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What are construction and maritime companies doing to promote and aid women in the field?

tie gender diversity targets into contracts and deals

appoint women to traditionally male roles

commit to gender equality in hiring practices

What are governments doing to promote and aid women in construction or maritime industries?

Diverse teams drive innovation and growth through gender parity and inclusivity in construction.

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2022, diverse teams will be key to the development of companies

Inclusion and diversity in work teams drives innovation. We are stronger when we run a business that cares about its communities and the world we live in. Let's toast 2022 with more opportunities for women.

By
This article was translated from our Spanish edition using AI technologies. Errors may exist due to this process. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

In the early 1990s the auto industry unveiled an innovation in car manufacturing: the airbag . By October 2001, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated that airbags had saved more than 7,500 lives. But these first airbags also killed 195 people during this period, mostly children and women under 1.70 meters. The force of the airbag impact on small bodies was brutal and until then this data was unknown.

The reason? In those years, airbag tests were done with mannequins with exclusively male characteristics and not with measurements of shorter female bodies or children. It wasn't until 2011 that the US government began requiring the auto industry to test “female” dummies. In Sweden, the road safety expert Astrid Linder had the solution because, together with her team, she designed EvaRid , the female prototype that helped manufacturers develop vehicles that would protect both men and women.

The story of the first female mannequin created by Linder reaffirms the importance of including more women in the work teams of various corporations. Without Astrid Linder's vision, the auto industry could have taken longer to develop a safe driving option for us.

Diversity and female inclusion in companies is not a whim, but a necessity that benefits society and also companies. McKinsey & Company's global Diversity wins: How inclusion matters study - surveying more than 1,000 companies from 15 countries - found that organizations with diverse and inclusive work teams have 25% or more chances of having earnings above the average, in relation to other similar companies.

Fortunately during these pandemic months, 78% of medium-sized companies are already promoting actions in favor of the desired gender parity and with it, generating a cultural change. 34% are focusing on creating an inclusive culture and ensuring equitable access to more development opportunities and 31% are committed to continuing with flexible work for the benefit of more women.

We know that cultural transformations do not happen overnight, but the priority is for industries to accelerate their processes of female inclusion by 2022. The pandemic brought some setbacks that must be alleviated. As if it were a choir where diverse voices with different harmonic qualities work for a common good; thus, companies must take advantage of equal opportunities both the talent of women and men.

In a post-pandemic world, the empathy, creativity, commitment and versatility of female leadership are needed, as well as assertive communication and a willingness to change. More women are also needed in work teams because precisely they are the ones who most support the diversity, equity and inclusion efforts of organizations.

Creating an inclusive environment in companies can start with some concrete actions such as the following:

1. Speak up for inclusion : Royal Bank of Canada considers it important that the organization's executives and managers receive training on topics related to inclusion and diversity. Like this institution, my suggestion is that companies design a set of communication initiatives that encourage community members to build a solid culture of inclusion.

2. Diversity strategies: some companies such as GAP have a Diversity and Inclusion Council where an advisory group made up of corporate executives and organization leaders develop diversity and inclusion strategies. All the company's actions on inclusion and diversity are also implemented in its business strategies.

3. Professional development programs : invest in the development of educational programs and / or leadership programs that ensure the company has a portfolio of talented and high-potential women; while it gives women the option of developing a career.

4. Celebrate employee differences: Diversity and inclusion behaviors should be celebrated. This is one of the most important ways to show employees that they are respected.

In a few days we will celebrate the arrival of 2022. Many companies prepare their action plan on issues of equality and inclusion because they know that creating diverse work teams that promote an inclusive culture has a positive impact on both society and their business strategies . We are stronger when we run a business that cares about its communities and the world we live in.

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How has the gender balance in the construction and maritime industries changed over recent decades?

How has the level of discrimination for female employees in the construction industry changed over recent decades?

What are construction and maritime companies doing to promote and aid women in the field?

commit to gender equality in hiring practices

What are governments doing to promote and aid women in construction or maritime industries?

Inclusion and diversity can increase earnings by 25% or more in construction companies.

Construction companies can increase diversity by updating policies, reducing language barriers, and partnering with minority-owned businesses.

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How Construction Leaders Can Build A Better Future

Josh Thompson is the founder and leader of Thompson Exterior Services, a construction and building maintenance company.

When used for the greater good, construction has the power to build communities, perpetuate lifelong careers and help those in need. It is evident if you look around that as the world evolves, construction is evolving right alongside it. Construction today is so much different from the industry I entered almost a decade ago. Some of these changes have affected the way things are done in both a positive and negative manner; however, there have been some exceptional changes that have changed the industry for the better. There are a few different zones where I think these innovative changes can best be seen: green construction, increased diversity and community building.

As entrepreneurs and global citizens, it is our responsibility to assure that we are doing the best we can to give back to the environment and our communities. Finding ways where our work can minimize issues like climate change and inclusivity while simultaneously bringing people together will help make the world a better place for future generations.

Green Construction

While people have probably heard about solar panels, there are a ton of new green construction technologies entering the field. From green insulation to electrochromic smart glass to cool roofs, the way we do construction is changing. These technologies are creating ways to build structures without lessening harm to the environment. Many of these technologies not only benefit the environment but also directly benefit people. For example, standard fiberglass insulation contains components that can be harmful to human health; green insulation, on the other hand, is not only made from recycled materials but takes away hazards to our health. Construction companies and their leaders should look into the use of green technology in construction since it can help lead to a more sustainable construction industry.

Increased Diversity

In 2021 87.9% of those in the construction industry identified as white. This statistic will likely change in the near future as the United States labor force becomes more diverse. Especially as labor shortages are seen across multiple industries, construction will have to look past their usual contingency to find more workers. I can say, both based on my personal experience and on research, that diversity can really benefit the industry. You can learn so much from those who work with you, and the varying backgrounds are especially helpful when you need to analyze an issue from a different perspective. Experiences build a person, and each one of my employees has an experience that differs from one another as well as my own.

A Boston Consulting Group (BCG) study found that diversity helps to increase innovation in a company. Diversity coupled with inclusivity, according to a Cloverpop study, can help improve team decisions by 60% and business decisions by 87%. With changes in the makeup of the United States population, construction will need to become more diverse to continue innovations and stay with the times.

There are a few ways that the construction industry and its leaders can continue on the path to increased diversity. The first step is to review company policies and make sure that they do not conflict with the goal of increased diversity. Once the company policies and procedures are in order, there are a few more steps that a company can take. One is to reduce language barriers. This includes offering training in a language that an employee is most comfortable and fluent in. It may also include incorporating more visuals in training to reduce the amount of English needed to understand concepts. Another step that construction leaders can take is to build partnerships with other minority-owned businesses.

Community Building

Construction is a building industry both literally and metaphorically. In construction, we build buildings, but we also build communities that involve much more than just concrete structures. When correctly implemented, there are many ways that construction can positively impact our community.

For example, new roads and frequently maintained buildings can help boost the economy of an area. New construction in an area can mean new jobs. Certain types of construction can also be extremely beneficial to a community and bring or revitalize vital buildings such as schools and hospitals. Construction thus has the potential to help many underserved communities. Leaders should work to ensure that when they take on a job, it is for the benefit of the community.

Although most of the outlined topics are specific to entrepreneurs within the construction industry, many other business owners can implement this three-step plan in order to positively impact their careers as well as the people around them. Always look for green options and alternatives when possible. Surround yourself and your team with diverse people with different backgrounds, and then lastly, remember to always build up the community around you.

Entrepreneurs help pave the way to the future, so it’s important to learn the fundamental tactics and best areas to focus your resources in order to build a better tomorrow.

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Automation and digital transformation can increase productivity and improve workplace inclusivity in construction companies.

Title:

Content: Top 5 Construction Trends in 2022 Embody Existing Industry Priorities

By KERRY SMITH, EDITOR, ST. LOUIS CONSTRUCTION NEWS AND REVIEW MAGAZINE

As 2021 wraps and 2022 begins, construction industry players say these industry trends are lining up to manifest in the new year and beyond:

  • Better PPE for Women: Greater emphasis on inclusivity for women in construction, namely in the category of safety, is expected to continue as a solid trend in 2022. Personal protective equipment that is sized more proportionately for women is expected to increase in terms of offerings from an array of vendors.
  • Increased Use of Automation and Robotics: As labor shortages endure, adoption of automation and robotics in the construction world will also endure and increase as a major 2022 industry trend to allow teams across the state, region, nation and globe to work more productively and efficiently with fewer human operators.
  • Increased Use of 3D Printing: This is predicted by analysts to advance design and construction modeling. Inventions such as one that allows 3D printing of asphalt are expected to continue to enable the construction industry to elevate its game.
  • Widespread Digital Transformation: From the office to the project site, digitization will continue transforming the industry on into 2022 and beyond.
  • Greater Emphasis on Sustainability: Due to public interest in sustainability, this focus is a continuing trend that will drive high-profile projects and collaboration in 2022 as owners and teams concentrate on sourcing sustainable materials.

Better PPE for women and 3D printing advancements can increase safety, inclusivity, and opportunities for women.

What are governments doing to promote and aid women in construction or maritime industries?

Why are construction and maritime industries more popular with women nowadays?

Support systems, training, and mentorship can help women excel in technical and non-traditional roles.

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5 key takeaways for DEI in maritime

Photo: Diversity Study Group
Heidi Heseltine founder of Diversity Study Group
Effective diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are built on clear insight, agreed upon outcomes, and targeted approaches — intentionally working to avoid the inevitable pitfalls of a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach.

Drawing on data-led insights from members of the Diversity Study Group (DSG), Founder Heidi Heseltine offers 5 key insights on getting the basics right in maritime.

1. Building inclusion throughout an organisation’s levels

We know that shipping has made vital progress in recruiting and retaining women in certain sectors over the last few years, with significant effort put in into achieving a more gender balanced workforce. For instance, we’ve seen improvements in closing the gap in more junior/trainee levels and in management positions — though these numbers drop off at head of department and director roles, indicating fewer women in executive and senior roles.

While the knee-jerk reaction to this would be to specifically target greater inclusion only at specific tiers of management — which is often effective and can look great on corporate ESG registers — organisations should look to embed and maintain inclusion efforts at all levels, so that gender-parity is reflected throughout the business whether lower level or higher. After all, we know from well-established research that when women make up 30% in any given decision-making forum they stop being treated as ‘exceptional’ and additional women are not seen as particularly remarkable or threatening. This can be particularly key for creating welcoming spaces and proactively preventing backlash to DEI efforts, where possible. If the goal is embedding sustainable and resilient DEI practices, then our focus must be on ensuring that having women in all spaces in reasonable numbers is not the exception, but the rule.

2. Avoiding seeing women in maritime as a monolith

Women are diverse in their requirements of a workplace and its culture, and should not be lumped into a single group defined by our presumptions. When considering what DEI approaches work best at sea or even on shore, we need to account for the fact that our global workforces are culturally diverse and have different levels of awareness when it comes to gender, age, nationality, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, neurodiversity and gender identity, amongst others. Societal norms, local legislation, and what is understood as ‘diverse’ can vary based on lived experience as well as the demographics of those involved. Understanding what is important to the women in individual workplaces and how we as an industry can support them will help us develop appropriate action plans for the short and long term.

3. Creating support systems to enable gender parity in technical positions

Technical positions, fleet and port management are slower to evidence change and inclusion when compared to progress seen in more traditionally female-led fields like maritime finance, Human Resources (HR), and Communications and Marketing. Organisations keen to address this disparity might benefit from creating training programs that include mentorship initiatives, skill-building workshops, and leadership development opportunities tailored to women in technical fields. This can foster confidence for the employee and their co-worker, help establish relationships for them to draw on in the workplace, and ensure they have the sector-specific knowledge and tools that they need to succeed.

4. Fostering relationships and embedding peer support

Following on from the previous point, peer support often plays a pivotal role in fostering an inclusive workplace but this doesn’t mean that disparities may not persist among different groups of people. Working with DSG, I’ve seen factors such as nationality, culture, ethnicity, and location all help or hinder DEI efforts. This is why it is crucial to closely monitor changes in perceptions, especially during challenging industry conditions, to prevent any employee from feeling undervalued or unsupported since this can impact engagement, efficiency and productivity. It’s important that organisations proactively work to recognise and address any issues in morale, which then helps maintain employee wellbeing and ensures a continued level of performance and investment in the organisation’s goals. Regular feedback mechanisms and evolving and updated policies can help support better company culture.

5. The support of leadership in successful DEI practices

Data from our members at DSG indicates that simply having knowledge of an organisation's commitment to equality, with good intentions evolving to well-researched and considered action and policy, significantly boosts confidence in fair treatment. This is often irrespective of group affiliations benefiting from such policies — everyone benefits from the process.

This confidence in a company’s commitments not only supports recruitment and retention — as establishing a sense of belonging and fairness often attracts dedicated workers and keeps them — but often helps elevate the public and private profiles of the organisation and its leaders.

The future of our workforce is global; to remain competitive within and outside of our industry, embedding fair practices and equality is likely to be a key differentiator for success.

What are construction and maritime companies doing to promote and aid women in the field?

create training and apprenticeship programs

What are governments doing to promote and aid women in construction or maritime industries?

educational programs
mentorship opportunities
vocational training

What positive experiences are highlighted in the personal stories of successful women in construction and maritime industries, especially of female crane operators?

On-the-job training programs can attract and retain women in non-traditional construction roles, helping to address underrepresentation.

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Content: News

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Detroit woman holds high rank in construction industry, encourages other women to join

Posted at 8:52 AM, Sep 01, 2022
and last updated 2022-09-01 08:52:20-04

(WXYZ) — A Detroit woman who started out filling potholes in the city is now in a position of power becoming one of the only women in the country to be crowned Superintendent of Street Maintenance.

Patricia Henderson is a woman that is about her business.

She works, sometimes around the clock, helping to make sure Detroit streets are smooth. And now, she's encouraging other women in the area to see a future in construction.

“My job initially, was to fill potholes,” Henderson said.

Henderson started working for the city in 1998. She says she was often the only woman on the side of the road patching and pounding so gaining respect wasn’t easy.

“The men thought that I couldn’t do the job so they would purposely not do something and leave it for me to do," Henderson said.

But instead of caving, she took control.

“I’ll go right on ahead and do it. I'll pick up the jackhammer, the shovel, whatever was available. I went on and done the job without their help,” she said.

She quickly began to rise in the ranks, but she says the feeling is bittersweet knowing more women are not following the path she's cleared.

According to the U.S Bureau of Labor and Statistics, only 13% of payroll employees in construction are women. This number has remained stagnant since the 90s.

As of 2019, Detroit ranked 44th in the country when it came to female construction workers.

“You identify a problem and you come up with solutions to eliminate that problem," MDOT spokesperson Aaron Jenkins said.

Jenkins says MDOT has created an on-the-job training program aimed at recruiting women and other minorities to join construction crews.

Since the program began, enrollment has more than doubled. The program started off with 56 women in 2017 and has grown to 126 as of 2021.

"The recruiting is working,” Jenkins said.

Henderson says she has hired more women under her leadership including in her supervising staff and she wants to encourage others to take the chance.

"I would tell women, go for it. Who better than us to do it? We are just as strong. We are just as smart. We are just as dominant as the male. We can do it, I’m a witness. I've done it.”

If you'd like to learn more about MDOT's job training program, click here.

How has the gender balance in the construction and maritime industries changed over recent decades?

What are construction and maritime companies doing to promote and aid women in the field?

create training and apprenticeship programs

What are governments doing to promote and aid women in construction or maritime industries?

educational programs
vocational training

Women can excel in construction with their attention to detail and design skills, and rise to leadership with determination and hard work.

The construction industry must attract and retain women to combat its chronic labor shortage.

What are construction and maritime companies doing to promote and aid women in the field?

commit to gender equality in hiring practices