Changing The Face Of Construction

According to the National Association of Women in Construction, despite women being 47% of the workforce in the U.S., women make up 10.9% of the construction industry (2020 data). With skilled labor an ever-constant challenge, these numbers show a significant gap in the workforce. 

At current, women represent 27% of the workforce at DPR Construction workforce—a 2% increase since 2019.

Today, construction companies are putting efforts and programs in place to repair that crack.

While there has been an increase in participation of women in the office and in the technical aspects, says Tim Taylor, Ph.D. director of research for the National Center for Construction Education & Research (NCCER), the amount of participation for the construction trades has been significantly less over the years.

"Women are not as aware of the construction industry and the opportunities that are offered to women because it's not something that they're naturally exposed to when they're younger," Taylor says.

The NCCER interviewed 176 tradeswomen in the U.S. and Canada. You can their results and more about their project at “Recognizing Women in the Construction Industry.”

It will take a systemic effort, but it can’t be to only address the number of women in construction. Taylor adds that one of the major barriers has been awareness and making women aware of the opportunities in construction at a young age. Construction companies are taking great strides in getting out on the ground floor—laying a foundation of interest if you will—with local schools, universities, and career fairs.

One company making this effort is the general contractor DPR Construction. They specialize in five core markets: healthcare, commercial, advanced tech, life sciences, and higher education. With over 13,000 employees and 30 offices globally, they work collaboratively with designers and customers to deliver highly technical projects.

While working with valued partners at architecture and design firms is an integral part of DPR’s construction process from start to finish, they use a “design-to-build” process which allows a team of experts across the company to collaborate with project teams. This process provides consistency and predictability in project delivery from initial concepts through occupancy. By applying principles of manufacturing and their experience as builders, they can fine-tune not only physical buildings but the entire method of developing and delivering them.

Listen to These Podcasts on Women in Construction by ForConstructionPros.com

Using Technology to Achieve Workforce Diversity in Construction - In this episode of HR Punchlist, guests from ARcoro and the National Association of Women in Construction talk about diversity and how both technology and attitudes are evolving to make it easier to recruit, retain and report on a diverse workforce. Guests share their tips and tricks for filling roles with sought-after younger generations, minorities, and women. 

McCarthy Partnership for Women Promotes Opportunities for Women in Construction - Callie Nottingham, McCarthy Building Companies, shares her journey into construction, as well as the components of the McCarthy Partnership for Women, a program designed to help grow women’s opportunities in the industry.

Rebar Contractor Proves Women Have a Place as Ironworkers - Jacqueline Pruitt tells how she proved herself in the strenuous rebar installation trade and positioned herself to found Marvella Steel Placers, plus provides insights on how other women might forge their own career path in construction. 

Skanska’s Johana Godoy Highlights Career Opportunities for Women in Construction - Skanska USA's Johana Godoy shares her experiences and career growth in the field of construction, as well as opportunities for other women seeking a promising and rewarding career path. 

Ladies of Sunbelt Rentals Discuss Opportunities for Women in Construction - Three female team members from Sunbelt Rentals discuss their roles and career paths within the company, as well as how to encourage other women to consider career opportunities in construction. 

Project Exec Shares Her Own Rapid Growth & Opportunities for Other Women in Construction - Jody Staruk, Consigli Construction, shares her experiences rising through the ranks in the industry, as well as discusses the various opportunities for other women to find fulfilling careers in construction. 

Suffolk Construction’s Lea Stendahl Highlights Careers for Women and “Rebuild the Ratio” Campaign - Lea Stendahl shares her path into the industry and the opportunities she sees for other women in construction. She also highlights Suffolk's "Rebuild the Ratio" campaign to not only get more women into the company but more girls into STEM careers. 

DPR ConstructionGlendy Rios, a Craft Talent Partner for DPR Construction in Austin, explains it very succinctly. “One of the biggest things with DPR is that we focus on how we get work, do work, and take care of people,” she says. Rios has been with the company for almost four years and in her career has been responsible for concrete contracts, invoicing, timekeeping, and a lot of the hiring and onboarding for Craft employees.

She, like many of the women in construction, became interested in the industry through her father—who worked for a construction company out of Houston. An opportunity with DPR presented itself and more doors continued to open.

Among their efforts of prioritizing its people, the company expanded its Craft benefit package which includes GED programs, maternity leave for hourly employees, and ESL classes. “We are providing a lot of resources to our Craft employees to help them advance in their careers,” adds Rios. “I feel very lucky to be a part of the team helping DPR build great things.”

Rios’ role is focused 100% on being a resource for Craft employees, visiting and encouraging them on jobsites, collaborating on curriculum for training and education specific to their skills and gaps, relaying valuable information in regard to their benefits through being employed by DPR, and making sure their voices are heard by local leadership.

The company has also created a  team with a leader assigned to each region to handle critical non-construction issues—especially in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Four of the five global social responsibility leaders at DPR Construction are women. 

 “One of the biggest things with DPR is that we focus on how we get work, do work, and take care of people."
—Glendy Rios, Craft Talent Partner, DPR Construction

“I think that’s a step forward for us to really change the mindset of the construction industry. For example, we have been talking with the superintendent to start incorporating more DEI education into our foreman meetings. Our DEI leadership team is really trying to change that for us and for the industry,” Rios says.

Outside the DEI team, the company tries to make sure that this mentality is shared within trade partners on projects. Their goal is those they hire in the trades reflect a culture of inclusivity across the board—in every office, with all leaders, and in all projects across the company. DPR’s DEI efforts are only one of the factors of its global social responsibility. 

Further developing employee careers in construction, DPR launched a Craft Apprenticeship Program for the concrete and drywall trades in September 2021 with a focus to give those new to the industry the tools they need to succeed. As one of the first Apprenticeship students at DPR in Austin, a woman has been a shining example for others. She now operates a PanelMax machine on a project’s drywall team.

“It just shows you that it’s not a ‘man’s thing’—that anyone can do this,” says Rios. “For the Apprenticeship Program to give her the opportunity is awesome—for her to be the first person to take this on and succeed in bringing value to the company. Other women are looking up to her.”

Take Care of Your People & Show That You Care

DPR Construction also implemented a team dedicated to taking care of their workers—a quality that Rios believes is keeping people at the company. Having this team in place says that they care, designed to help people feel open, able to express themselves, and have that psychological safety that workers can provide feedback on what is happening in the field.

This significant facet of company culture is important when sharing the opportunities available in construction. Recruitment teams connect with multiple organizations, and community initiatives, and are involved in STEM and girls’ programs. For example, DPR has a Build Up Internship with high school students, getting them to work on jobsites even before college to learn and fall in love with the industry. “We start girls’ empowerment and teaching women about construction at a young age,” says Rios. “I think DPR’s approach is that you have to show construction at an early age if you want students—and their parents—to consider those career paths.”

DPR ConstructionIn their ongoing efforts, DPR’s recruitment leaders have been encouraging more women to join construction with regional teams going out to high schools and universities to promote DPR through career fairs. Yet, Rios believes that the curiosity needs to start from them first. “I think there needs to be an interest from that person to come up to us. And for us to provide that information to them,” she says.

The DPR team recently attended a career fair an engineering school. Because they were one of the few contractors there, people started asking questions. “We started telling them about our values, what we stand for, and what buildings we’re building. I think that’s the biggest thing that gets people. We’re building some beautiful buildings downtown and just promoting that excites people. There must be interest from people.”

It seems their efforts are working. At current, women represent 27% of the DPR workforce—a 2% increase since 2019.

Rios says, “It’s become a trend that women are not only in the industry but leading the industry.”