Build Like a Girl is an annual event that gives teenage girls the opportunity to experience what it’s like in the construction industry. These girls will learn numerous different trades such as carpentry and masonry and will even get the chance to learn on an active construction site. The third annual event was on August 10, 2018 in Middleton Wisconsin.
The idea behind this event is to give young girls a unique hands on experience and to show them what it’s really like to work in the construction industry. This latest attempt to get the next generation interested in the field is because the construction industry is having more skilled workers retire every year than they have new people entering the field. Programs like Build Like a Girl are aiming to help bridge the gap.
Site managers agree that women could significantly help alleviate the shortage of construction workers if they could be convinced to get a job in the industry. According to The Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of jobs in construction is estimated to grow by 11% over the next 10 years. This is faster than the average of all other occupations.
One appealing aspect of the construction industry for women is that the wages are basically the same for both men and women. While women only make about 79 cents for every dollar a man makes nationally, women make around 92.5 cents of the dollar in the construction field. Starting wages for women is $60,000 a year on average, even with no experience.
“In construction, you make what you make. It’s really nice,” said Carole Schaeffer of Miron Construction. “There isn’t that gender disparity in terms of income. But there’s less than two percent of women who are actually in the field.”
“Quite frankly, there’s such a broad array of opportunities in the construction field. There’s the operating engineers, you can lay brick, you can do any number of things,” Said Schaeffer. “You can also be in virtual construction. I think they’re just not aware of all the different possibilities that are in this industry.”