Breaking Gender Barriers in Construction

By: Build Right Nova Scotia

As we celebrate International Women’s Day on Sunday, March 8th, it is time to highlight an important opportunity in our industry.

For decades, the world of construction has had the reputation of being a male-only industry.  This has led to a low female-to-male ratio on construction sites across the province, with women accounting for less than 5% of the trades workforce.

But encouragingly, things are changing – and at just the right time as industry demographics shift and retirements increase.

The number of women entering the industry is constantly improving with help from organizations dedicated to opening doors for women in the trades and technology sector.

Techsploration, for example, provides young women from grades nine through twelve with opportunities to explore science, trades, and technology occupations, while creating awareness about the critical role of work in their lives.  It also helps them understand the significance of high school math and science for their future careers.

Women Unlimited provides a free 14-week program to assist women with barriers to employment by exploring, preparing, obtaining and maintaining employment in the trades and technology fields.
Thanks to initiatives like Techsploration and Women Unlimited, we are seeing more and more women getting involved in the construction trades.

At Build Right Nova Scotia, a partnership of professional unionized contractors and tradespeople, we are committed to encouraging women in the trades.  For example, every hour that a Build Right Nova Scotia member works, a contribution is made to Techsploration.  By supporting these organizations, we hope to see the number of female journeypersons in our province continue to increase.

The construction industry can no longer be seen as a male-only environment.

For more information on these programs, visit www.techsploration.ca and www.womenunlimitedns.ca

Sincerely,
Build Right Nova Scotia | www.buildrightns.ca

Allan Stapleton, Director for Build Right Nova Scotia and President of the Nova Scotia Construction Labour Relations Association
Brad Smith, Director for Build Right Nova Scotia and Executive Director of the Mainland Nova Scotia Building and Construction Trades Council
Trent Soholt, Project Manager for Build Right Nova Scotia and Executive Director of the Nova Scotia Construction Sector Council