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Advocating for Women in Construction “Representation of women in the sector is slowly increasing, but nowhere near fast enough,” NAWIC President Colleen Upton says. NAWIC sees many women who worry they won’t be welcome express interest in construction careers. “When there are huge shortages, why do we not look at half of the population? They […]
“Representation of women in the sector is slowly increasing, but nowhere near fast enough,” NAWIC President Colleen Upton says. NAWIC sees many women who worry they won’t be welcome express interest in construction careers. “When there are huge shortages, why do we not look at half of the population? They can and will do these jobs.”
The National Association for Women in Construction (NAWIC) champions women through its awards, mentoring, and education opportunities. Upskilling through speaker panels, site visits, and inspiring events such as the recent ‘We Belong in Construction’ speaker series on Woman’s Suffrage Day connect and inspire. NAWIC also visits schools and career events to encourage and engage young women to consider industry opportunities.
They recently held their annual awards night, which provides an opportunity for organisations and individuals to recognise, be recognised, and celebrate the amazing mahi of wahine in construction across the country. The awards night connects women from all aspects of the construction industry, with over 550 attendees this year.
Colleen says the atmosphere in the room was electric. “Naylor Love have been an amazing sponsor for our Annual Awards, and we certainly could not do such a good job without them,” she adds.
“Women represent around 13% of the construction industry – with only around 3% on the tools. We need to ensure construction is a ‘safe’ space for women to turn up to work each day and to be able to do their jobs. We want to welcome men to feel included in our functions and activities – although we are ‘women in construction,’ this does not mean we are anti-men – and we are thankful to those men who support us.”
Women in construction face many challenges. Colleen expresses her disappointment in how toileting and sanitation are still a subject in 2024. She says most women are happy to use the same bathroom facilities as men, but they need sanipods within them.
Leave “Flexible working hours and maternity leave are two items that require a lot of discussion. NAWIC is keen to get all the ‘Women In…’ groups together to start looking at what can be done in this area, as we know we lose a lot of women out of construction because of the rigid attitudes of main contractors.”
Improving gender equity and retention rates within the industry is sometimes as simple as providing toilets with sanipods in them. Colleen adds that flexible start and finish times,
equal pay rates for the same job, and the promotion of women in workplaces (because if you can see it, you can be it) are other cornerstone areas where the industry can improve.
“We need good paid parental leave for women (and men) and to encourage women to gradually re-enter the workforce after having babies. I think construction companies generally want to employ women, they want to advance them, they want to do right – but they don’t know where to start.
“We need to build inclusive and respectful workplaces. We need to cut the ‘bully boy’ behaviour on construction sites and make them places safe for women to work. We find a lot of fathers are not happy about their daughters coming into construction on the tools as they do not believe they will be safe. We need our menfolk and colleagues to be upstanders and not bystanders and to check inappropriate behaviour instead of making it smoko gossip.”
Looking ahead, Colleen says that NAWIC’s focuses are appointing a CEO, lobbying for flexible hours, encouraging more young women to see construction as a viable career path, growing the number of Maori and Pasifika women in construction, and working with women to encourage others to join.
“We want to grow business partnerships and look at offering mentorships.
“NAWIC sits around the table with others working collaboratively,” Colleen says. “It is how we work and who we are.”
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