{"id":135,"date":"2025-09-04T07:54:52","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T07:54:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ccsbinc.com\/?p=135"},"modified":"2025-09-11T16:02:58","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T16:02:58","slug":"how-gender-bias-still-builds-barriers-for-women-in-construction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.ccsbinc.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/04\/how-gender-bias-still-builds-barriers-for-women-in-construction\/","title":{"rendered":"How Gender Bias Still Builds Barriers for Women in Construction"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Lauren Walker, MD of Aluminium Fire Systems<\/a><\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

Walk onto any construction site today, and you\u2019ll likely see hard hats, steel-toed boots, and maybe, if you\u2019re lucky, a woman or two among the crew. But don\u2019t be fooled. While the equipment and technology have evolved, one thing remains stubbornly stuck in the past: sexist attitudes and outdated practices.<\/p>\n

Even though I have put the work in and climbed the ranks to MD, I still see the same invisible walls that blocked progress when I first started. We don\u2019t talk about them enough. And if we keep pretending the problem has been \u201cmostly solved,\u201d we\u2019re part of the reason it hasn\u2019t been.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s stop tiptoeing around it: construction is still a man\u2019s world, and not just by headcount.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs There A Man In Charge?\u201d<\/h2>\n

Bias doesn\u2019t always show up as open hostility, like I have personally experienced. It\u2019s often the subtle, everyday assumptions. A woman shows up on-site, and people assume she\u2019s there to do paperwork. A female project manager gives instructions, and they get double-checked or ignored. A woman applies for a field job, and someone wonders if she\u2019s \u201cstrong enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t about feelings getting hurt, it\u2019s about capability being questioned before it\u2019s ever proven.<\/p>\n

Sexist Comments Disguised As Banter<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s be honest: there\u2019s still a \u201cboys\u2019 club\u201d mentality in pockets of our industry. It\u2019s not always malicious, but it is exclusive. Off-colour jokes, social bonding that leaves women out, assumptions that they won\u2019t want to \u201cget their hands dirty\u201d, it all sends the same message – you\u2019re not really one of us.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve had women tell me they\u2019d rather not speak up about issues on-site because they don\u2019t want to be seen as \u201coverreacting\u201d or \u201csensitive.\u201d So they stay silent, adapt, blend in and that silence becomes compliance in the eyes of those around them.<\/p>\n

The Invisible Load Women Carry<\/h2>\n

For women in construction, the job doesn\u2019t end when they clock out. Many are also managing family duties, fielding scepticism from relatives (\u201cYou sure you want to do this?\u201d), or navigating workplaces that weren\u2019t designed with them in mind, from ill-fitting PPE to lack of private restrooms.<\/p>\n

We need to stop expecting women to carry that extra weight alone. We design buildings to be efficient and safe. Why can\u2019t we design work environments to be inclusive and fair?<\/p>\n

What Needs To Change And What Leaders Can Do<\/h2>\n

Change won\u2019t come from token programmes. It starts with us, the people in leadership, owning the problem and putting real weight behind fixing it. Here\u2019s what that looks like:<\/p>\n