About 1 in 10 women are exiting the industry due to harassment at work, often at the hands of managers, clients and customers according to new research.
The alarming figures come from a recent report by the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), titled The Not-So-Little Things Affecting Women in Construction. as they investigated the cultural challenges women faced entering the predominantly male workforce.
After surveying 650 women throughout the construction sector, “microaggressions” emerged as the top offender for workplace harassment, with over 90 per cent claiming they had experienced “subtle but persuasive behaviours” that dismissed or undermined their role in the workplace.
Some women said the constant exposure to these behaviours had even taken a toll on their mental health, with respondents widely reporting feelings of imposter syndrome, a loss of professional confidence and a significant increase in stress, anxiety, and depression.
One respondent said the harassment had gotten so bad that she was “having nightmares about work, waking up in sweat and panic”.
“My depression was exasperated, and I was always exhausted,” she added.
Women from marginalised groups had it even worse off, with 100 per cent of women with disabilities, 91 per cent of LGBTQIA+ individuals, 86 per cent of people of colour, and 85 per cent of migrants reporting having encountered microaggressions in the workplace.
For migrant women, cultural and language barriers reportedly “exacerbate” these experiences, making it even more difficult for them to address or report issues.
Workplace culture “holds women back”
More worryingly still were the findings that many of these incidents (41 per cent) actually came from the supervisors and managers in leadership roles and 38 per cent by clients or customers, resulting in a reporting system that effectively doesn’t work.
Of the women that reported these microaggressions, 63 per cent said their complaints led to no change and nine per cent said their situation actually worsened.
Sarah Liu, Founder and Managing Director of DEI consultancy TDC Global said the culture created a ‘fear of retaliation’, silencing many women from speaking out.
“This report highlights once again – that, more often than not, it is the workplace culture and systemic barrier that holds women back,” she said.
“The construction sector has been actively trying to overhaul its notorious reputation for its low female participation rate, however, it seems these efforts are a labour in vain.
“Women simply do not feel safe at work in the construction industry because the issues they face are subtle, and often perpetuated by individuals with influence over women’s careers.”
Lisa Martello, Board Director at NAWIC, said that while women “can definitely take a joke”, female workers were tired of being expected to put up with “nasty comments”.
‘The construction industry undoubtedly has a microaggression problem, and it’s time to address it,” she said.
“The survey data clearly indicates that we have a lot of work to do to make our industry a safe, enjoyable, and rewarding place to work for all individuals, regardless of gender. We are counting on everyone in our community to play their part in making this change happen.”
It’s time to make a change
In the hopes of helping women feel more comfortable working in construction, both NAWIC and TDC Global have called on industry leaders to implement sweeping changes across the sector, including mandatory manager training, anonymous reporting mechanisms, quotas for women in leadership roles and peer support networks.
“What’s important and critical now is leadership and the industry’s commitment to making real change,” said Liu.
“Women need access to safe processes and internal structures that allow them to call out poor behaviour, without fear of unfair repercussions.”
Without these changes, Liu worried that the industry ran the risk of going backwards in their recent efforts to attract more women to the sector amidst the ongoing labour shortage crisis.
“Attracting and retaining women in the construction industry has always been difficult, yet if women continue to be subjected to microaggressions at their workplace, we’ll see even greater levels of withdrawal from the industry,” she said.
“The industry will lose out of 50 per cent of our talent pool if this culture persists.”
“What’s more, high employee turnover associated with poor workplace culture leads to substantial financial losses and impairs the industry’s overall efficiency.
“Tackling microaggressions in the construction industry is not just the right course of action, but a commercial necessity.”
