Today marks the start of Women in Construction Week, more commonly known around the nation as WIC Week. The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) and the construction industry will be celebrating the women working in this male dominated industry all week long and we hope that many others will join us in the celebration.
NAWIC’s overall mission is to enhance the success of women in the construction industry. With almost 900,000 women working in construction today, NAWIC works to advance the causes of all women in construction whose careers range from business ownership to the skilled trades. WIC WEEK was created to highlight women as a visible component of the construction industry. It is meant to raise awareness of the opportunities available for women in the construction industry and to emphasize the growing role of women in the industry.
Looking at recent Bureau of Labor Statistics, the construction industry has a lot of rewarding opportunities for women. There is a current labor shortage across the board and we need more women to consider construction as a career option. The BLS reported that women in the U.S. earn on average 82.1% of what men make. But, when you look at the construction industry, the gender pay gap is much smaller. In construction, women earn on average 93.4% what men make.
This will be the first year that MBI will be actively celebrating WIC Week on our social media accounts. We are excited to work on breaking the stereotypes of the construction industry and we hope that many of you join us. Let’s work together in our communities and as an industry to attract more women to construction!
