The Catalyst
I’m a pretty calm person. There isn’t much that can piss me off, but this one thing did. I was driving back home from work one day, and I did a double take as I was turning into the residential area that includes my neighborhood. I saw a men working sign, and I couldn’t believe it. Women aren’t given access to proper reproductive health. We have to wear Subway shirts(look it up). We can’t even have an opinion without being demanding. There are just so many things that have halted and/or are halting gender equality and this sign adds that strain.
After doing research online, I could only find one construction company that has rolled out gender-neutral signs. The company is Plaza Construction, and they put up the signs back in 2018 in response to the Me Too movement. It’s been almost 5 years, and yet no other companies are following suit by replacing their current signs with gender-neutral ones.
The Facts
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2022, 11.79 million Americans worked in the construction sector and only 10.9 percent were women. I’m not going to lie. These stats aren’t very shocking to me. Think about when you were a kid. For Christmas, little boys got toy blocks and Lincoln logs while little girls got Barbie dolls and play cooking sets. Barbie dolls and cooking sets are fun to play with, but so are toy blocks and Lincoln logs. Construction has always been a male-dominated field, but it shouldn’t be.
Personally, I don’t care to work in construction, but I do want to work in the STEM field, and I know other young women want to as well. Many people consider careers in STEM limited to software engineers, mathematicians, and rocket scientists, but the STEM field also includes construction. Tile setters use geometry when they are cutting and installing tile. Computer-aided design(CAD) and building information modeling(BIM) allows architects and engineers to collaborate with project managers and superintendents on 3D models as opposed to paper blueprints. Electricians use electrodynamics when they repair electrical issues and install electrical systems. For the girls out there that want a career in STEM, but can’t seem to figure out what career exactly. Construction might be what you’re looking for.
Construction Careers in STEM:
- Construction Inspector
- Flooring Installer
- Surveyor
- Roofer
- Iron Worker
- Cost Estimator
- Safety Manager
- Civil Engineer
These are just a few examples of construction careers in STEM. The possibilities are endless.
At the end of the day, some people may see this sign as just a sign, but I see this sign as a reminder that they are so many workforces that lack female representation. It illuminates a bigger issue: there is still much work that needs to be done so that girls feel empowered to explore careers in construction and other male-dominated career sectors. As we work toward gender equality, we need to take a look at small things like this sign because minor changes have such monumental effects.
That’s all for this week. To all the young women out there, don’t let a sign stop you from exploring a career. Also, up top are some of my designs for gender-neutral construction signs. Since Barbie comes out today, I got a little inspired. Thank you for reading. Stay sharp 😉
Sources
- https://byf.org/how-construction-professionals-apply-stem-every-day/#:~:text=But%20when%20you%20break%20construction,every%20day%20in%20their%20career.
- https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/construction-job-types
- https://www.bls.gov/