Women Getting Into Construction Jobs Still Low in Number

Reports reveal that women's involvement in the construction industry is still low despite the fading occupational gender segregation in many professional jobs.

There are nearly 7.6 million male construction workers while there are about 200,000 women in the field, according to a report on women in construction from the National Women's Law Center published last year.

Back in 1972, only 2 percent of dentists were women but now it's 29 percent. In the construction industry, women are 0.6 percent of carpenters in 1972 while today, 1.6 percent of carpenters are women, Courant reported.

The reason why only few women are working in the field of construction is due to the stereotyping of a woman's ability both from co-workers and employer, the preference of other traditional jobs for women, the lack of paid days offs and the possibility of sexual harassment.

Most of the time, women who didn't get a college diploma will be working as sales clerks, cashiers, personal care aides, child care workers and others. All of these jobs receive only half of what construction workers receive as a salary.

It is reported that the 1970s is the period which is "the most intense effort to introduce minorities and women into construction work," according to The Future of Private Sector Unionism, a book by James Bennett.

At present, the goal of the government is to have 6.9 percent of women participation in the construction industry which is the same goal that the government tried to reach in 1978.

According to the National Women Law's Center, it would be better to raise the 6.9 percent goal since more women are in the workforce now than it was 37 years ago.

With that, Linda Speight, a woman on workers' compensation said that she thinks middle school and high school girls should be encouraged to try other jobs that are usually done by men like being a long-haul truck driver, or to go into manufacturing or construction.

"I'm watching it happen with my kids and step kids," she said. "I really would like to see more women in nontraditional careers."