For a long time in construction, we have celebrated “firsts”: the first woman on a crew…the first female superintendent… the first woman operating a piece of equipment…the first woman leading a project…. the first woman earning a seat at “the table.”
And you know what? We should celebrate every single one of those women. Those “firsts” matter.
They represent progress. They also represent a door that opened and a woman who was willing to walk through it. But I think the real indicator of how far we have come will be when the “first” simply becomes familiar.
I have spent most of my career in construction, and I have watched that shift happen.
I see more women in the field, operating equipment, estimating jobs, managing projects, and leading teams. But I am also seeing something else. I am seeing more people, men and women, mentoring, advocating, opening doors, and recognizing talent.
That matters.
Women make up roughly half of our population, yet they still represent a small percentage
of the construction workforce, especially in field roles. I don’t look at that as a problem. I
see it as an opportunity! The construction industry needs more people. Why wouldn’t
we want more women to see themselves working in this industry?
I say this all the time: You can’t be what you don’t see! When a young woman sees another woman operating heavy equipment, maybe she thinks, I can do that. When she sees a woman leading a project, maybe she starts thinking, Why not me? That is how visibility creates possibility.
But getting a woman through the door is not enough. We need to make sure she can see
a path forward. That takes ALL of us.
Sometimes it happens through mentorship. Sometimes it comes through opportunity.
Sometimes it is as simple as being the person in the room that says, “I know a woman who’s ready. Give her a chance.”
This isn’t about building what some people perceive as an “all-girls club.” It’s about building the strongest construction workforce possible and making sure talent is not overlooked
because we are not used to seeing it in a woman.
Yes, let’s celebrate the “firsts.” Let’s continue to make a big deal out of them. Then, let’s create the “second,” the “tenth,” the “hundredth,” until one day we no longer feel the need to keep count. That is when we will know that we have really made progress!
The goal is not to stop celebrating the “firsts.” The goal is to make sure she isn’t the last or the only.
