When you think of work in construction, almost every time you’ll have an image of man in mind
According to statistics, approximately 99% of workers who build sites are men. In other words, only 1 in every 100 employees on the frontline of a job site is a woman. And only 11% of women make up the entire workforce in the industry
When it comes to roles, women are mainly behind the desk, performing administrative and secretarial roles. The imbalance is quite evident.
Women are misrepresented in both the trade and executive positions in the construction industry. 7% of women are line executives, 14% make up the staff executive and only 2.5% of tradespeople are women.But when it comes to secretarial positions, 87% of women working in the construction industry hold such positions.
Some of the limitations that women face in the construction industry are insufficient training, inhibiting mindsets against women working in construction, and unconscious gender bias.
Although a male-dominated industry, there are some women who are making it happen. As we celebrate the International Women’s Month, we sat down with Qs. Margaret Ezekiel from National Housing Corporation, to gain her perspective on the biases present in the construction industry, the challenges that Women face, her success and lessons.
Margaret Ezekiel, PMP® is a Quantity Surveyor, Consultant, and Project Manager in the Construction Industry. She has more over 2 decades of experience in managing and leading projects programs and portfolios in real estate. She currently leads the project management unit at National Housing Corporation (NHC) which is the leading real estate developer in Tanzania.
When we asked about her success, QS. Margaret attributed her success to being involved in some of the most complicated projects at every stage of her career development.
She has been involved and the front centre of numerous construction projects undertaken in different locations that paused different sets of complexities from the get go. She further explained that in-between performing her best, those experiences brought out the best in her.
Even though her journey as a quantity surveyor, consultant, and project manager has been a successful one, she has faced challenges as a woman, and mostly, an Acceptance Challenge, she said,
“When starting to climb the leadership ladder, everyone wants to prove that the man is a leader more than the woman. Perhaps because of the culture. The moment you show that you can work as a leader, even though a woman, eventually, they come to accept you. This (Acceptance) is one of the challenges I have been seeing and facing while growing in this construction industry.”
She advised all young women aspiring to get into construction, to fight and show their professionalism regardless of their gender. Margaret insisted that Women should be courageous, professional and apply leadership lessons and techniques to win and convince their counterparts that they can do it.
She also advised organizations and companies to focus on people with the right knowledge and experience rather than on their gender
“To my fellow women, we have to stand out. I know most of us can perform very well… but (most of us) don’t stand out as leaders, rather, we are always following around. We have to break that bias. Stand out. Show what you’ve got, take the lead where we can, then the world will be a better place. And so will the project management industry.”
Tanzania being a developing economy, has numerous projects in construction and infrastructure that are underway. There’s an increasing demand for skills in the construction industry.
This is a great opportunity for women to step out and fill these spots despite the unconscious bias. It is your time to shine as a woman and break the status quo and show the world that women are capable.
“Individually, we’re all responsible for our own thoughts and actions – all day, every day. We can break the bias in our communities. We can break the bias in our workplaces. We can break the bias in our schools, colleges, and universities. Together, we can all break the bias – on International Women’s Day (IWD) and beyond”
About HEBO Consult
HEBO Consult is project management consulting firm that helps businesses, organizations, and individuals get the right skills, tools, and frameworks to successfully execute projects. Whether through consulting or training, we are committed to bringing you the right strategies, skillset, and mindset to turn your ideas into the best reality possible.
