Diversity in the Construction Industry

The Nordic countries (Norway, Finland, Denmark, and Sweeden) has achieved more gender equity progress when compared to the rest of the world (Sanandaji & Förlag, 2016). The Nordic countries lead the way in creating opportunities for women in education and achieve political authority (Sanandaji & Förlag, 2016).

Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Nordic countries have a high number of women in top-level executive positions. However, “Nordic countries have unusually few women amongst managers in private enterprise as well as amongst business owners” (Sanandaji & Förlag, 2016, p. 18). Furthermore, Norway is often seen as a model to emulate where strict policies have been put in place to force 40% of corporate board members must be women (Sanandaji & Förlag, 2016). However, it has been shown that few women benefited from the forced affirmative action policies. Additionally, these policies have resulted in poor firm performance and had little if any effect on progressing gender equity (Sanandaji & Förlag, 2016).

Often the objective of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies is that 50% of the workforce are to be women, irrespective of industry. For example, the National Association of Women in Construction has a goal for women to make up 25% of the construction industry by 2025 with an end goal of 50% equity in female participation (NAWIC, 2022).

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2020), 10.8% of workers in the construction industry are women (Gallagher, 2022). This is a stark difference when compared to other industries where women dominate the employment sector. Such as the education and healthcare sector where women comprise 75% of the workforce. DeYoung, Quilty, & Peterson (2007) posit there are marked biological differences between men and women that drive personality and interest. In other words, men and women are interested in different things. Specifically, men are interested in things and women are interested in people. This finding is also supported in the Nordic regions where industries that are dominated by men or women are maximized, not equalized (Sanandaji & Förlag, 2016).

Given the construction industry is comprised of 90% males, many of the organizations we work with have diversity goal requirements that do not align with the reported U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

How does Wilhelm Construction achieve those goals?

An important element of our corporate strategic plan is focused on diversifying our workforce by 5% each year. Achieving this goal requires us to recruit both construction administrative and field personnel from non-traditional areas. Ana Aranda Sanchez leads our diversity efforts. With the assistance of several Wilhelm Managers and Human Resources, Ana assists and represents our Company in these recruiting efforts.

As a company, we knew that we needed to improve our outreach to a more diverse population including women. In the past, we focused our recruitment effort on students from just a few local universities. Over the past several years, our Human Resources Department has grown our recruiting efforts to include colleges and universities that serve a more diverse student population that includes more women. In addition to reaching diverse students, we are reaching students with a variety of training/educational backgrounds which makes our workforce stronger. For field personnel, we have partnered with the local unions in their recruiting efforts to attract more women to the trades.

Another approach that we have taken to grow our workforce is recruiting talented individuals from non-construction-related backgrounds. Not everyone who works in our industry needs to have a degree in a construction-related field or completed an apprenticeship program to be successful. We have found people who have excellent problem-solving and communication skills can be successful in a variety of roles within our organization.

As an industry, we need to make an intentional effort to attract women. Making cultural shifts needs to continue to be a priority. Walking onto a job site or a meeting full of men can be very intimidating. Providing a more welcoming culture is important to attracting new employees and keeping current employees. We must make our employees, both men and women of all backgrounds, feel welcome and valued.

Diversity in the workplace employs representation from a variety of areas including gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, culture, education, and age to name a few. Having a diverse workforce benefits our company and industry by bringing a variety of different perspectives together to be more creative and innovative.

References

DeYoung, C., Quilty, L., & Peterson, J. (2007). Between Facets and Domains: 10 Aspects of the Big Five. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 93(5). DOI: 10.1037/0022-3514.93.5.880

Gallagher. C. (2022). The Construction Industry: Characteristics of the Employed, 2003–20. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/spotlight/2022/the-construction-industry-labor-force-2003-to-2020/home.htm

The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC). (2022). “We Advocate for Change. We Educate and Empower. We Connect. We are NAWIC”. https://nawic.com.au/NAWIC/NAWIC/About/About_Us.aspx

Sanandaji, N. & Förlag, T. (2016). The Nordic Gender Equality Paradox. Livonia Print, Latvia. https://nordicparadox.se/