INTERNATIONAL Women’s Day is a great opportunity for the building industry to consider how it can encourage women into its workforce says Housing Industry Association (HIA) deputy director Jocelyn Martin.

“The construction industry has one of the lowest rates of female participation,” says Martin.

“Only 13 per cent of the construction industry are female, but these figures do not tell the whole story, because while numbers are low, they are rising steadily, and the opportunities for women to gain a career in the construction are opening.

“There are nearly 6000 female apprentices and trainees undertaking training in the construction industry, which is more than double the number in training three years ago in 2019.”

Seventy-four per cent of staff within the gallery development team in the Australian War Memorial are female.

Memorial director Matt Anderson says these women represent a variety of background, skills and expertise.

“It’s important to see the range of opportunities you can get out of a career in construction. Four out of five project managers working on the development are female, which is a great statistic,” says project manager Rebecca Conway.

“I thought it would be really exciting to be able to work with my hands. This is a very significant place for a lot of people and just being able to say that you worked on it and being proud of it is fantastic,” says Hayley Delmenico.

Jocelyn Martin says it’s true there is an array of conscious and subconscious biases that influence the perceptions of career opportunities for women in the construction industry. Too often these biases steer women away from pursuing a career in building.

“But the gender-based barriers that limit female participation within the industry can be eliminated. Efforts over recent years are starting show the walls slowly coming down,” says Martin.

“It is a great time for a woman considering a career in the construction industry to look beyond the traditional trades to the significant range of career paths on offer.

“HIA believes in celebrating the achievements of pioneering women who have decided to enter the home building workforce and take on the variety of challenges it presents.”