Jessica Garrett

COMM 1120 04
Wednesday November 2, 2016

Why Male Domination Persists in the Construction Industry

Did you know that in 2015 out of 1,371 thousand Canadians employed in the
construction industry 1,213 thousand were men and only 158 were women [1]? The construction
industry is male dominated due to women were not able to enter the labour force earlier in
history and sexual harassment. It is male dominated as well due to the workplace being hostile
and unsafe in many circumstances for women.

One substantial reason women are the minority in the construction industry is because
women were not able to enter the labour force earlier in history. In the past women had the
societal role of raising the family while the men worked, and were only expected to work
themselves until they married. This changed when During WWI, women replaced men who
had joined the armed services, but the labour shortage was not severe enough to warrant their
large-scale employment [2]. In the 1960s with the womans movement; women gained
recognition of their voice in society for how they had evolved in different roles and positions in
society. A main holdback for woman wanting to enter the labour force previous to this
movement was not being able to have anyone look after their children while they were gone, as
there were no day care facilities. With a womans main responsibility being to raise a family it
meant she did not have the freedom to acquire a job or attain a career.

Another reason why the construction industry is male dominated is because of how much
sexual harassment women face in the industry. A study done by the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA) showed extreme results reported by tradeswomen of sexual
harassment. Tradeswomen reported that 88% had been confronted with pictures of naked or
partially dressed women; 83% experienced unwelcome sexual remarks; and 57% reported being
touched or asked for sex [3]. This is largely due to the lack of other females in this industry and
in the workplaces, for this does not occur in such a high rate within jobs where the ratio of men
to women is not as drastic. With sexual harassment being so high in these workplaces it makes it
difficult for women to go into the construction industry or stay within it when they are not
treated with respect on the job.

The construction industry continues to be male dominated due to unsafe working

conditions for women. Sanitary facilities at job sites are often not well maintained or sometimes
not available. Some women have been denied bathroom breaks or even facilities in the work
environment. There is often not enough water or any at all provided for women to wash up,
whether to wash their hands or within these bathroom facilities if provided. Due to unacceptable
sanitary conditions and lack of bathroom facilities it leads to many health problems for women.
A solution some women have been driven too is avoiding the need to use the washroom by not
staying hydrated on the job, risking heat stress as well as other health problems. The biggest
health concern for women and not having sanitary bathroom facilities on the job is urinary tract
infection which is common in women, but is brought on by holding in the urine due to unclean
facilities or using them while they are unclean [3]. Due to this health issue it is hard for women to
stay in these jobs that are harmful to their health.

The workplace for women in the construction industry is very hostile because it is male
dominated. This ranges from different forms of harassment; to the way women are treated on the
job site in a work related manner. There is a clear segregation between men and women on the
job site that is made between genders as in a Chicago Women in Trades (CWIT) study 52% of
women revealed that men refused to work with them [3]. It is hostile to be isolated in the
workplace and singled out from a team effort which is part of most construction processes for
being a woman, which adds fear of assault. Most men, of the older generation and in general
oppose the idea of having women in this industry because it has always been deemed a mans
job. The stereotype of women not being able to handle the job is still very strong as women have
always been seen as delicate rather then strong and tough. This opposition based on the many
years of this industry being male dominated and the stereotype of women make the workplace
hostile. This is due to the change of workplace relationships from all male to shifting it to male
and female, which has been taken poorly shown by the harassment women deal with.
Tradeswomen have even been physically threatened on the job, and sexism in the workplace is
can be very hard to cope with.

Some people may disagree that the construction industry is male dominated due to the
increase in female apprenticeship registrations for the industry. There is now advertisement and
new programs to motivate and encourage women to get into the industry and get rid of the pre
existing stereotype of women in male dominated fields. The growth of females in new
apprenticeship registrations grew from 7% to 15% between 1991 and 2013. These new
apprenticeship registrations are in trades that are male dominated, and the percentage of women
in welding increased to 7.7%, automotive services 6.1% and machinist to 5.1% in 2013. These

registrations were 2.6% or below in 1991 so this increase is more then double [4]. This makes it
seem that this industry is becoming less and less male dominated when all these women are
entering, but the reality is these figures are how many women are registered and does not
account for how many are currently in those fields or show the relationship between how many
men to females are registered.

The initial reason why the construction industry is male dominated is due to women not
given any opportunity to enter the labour force for considerable time in history. A second main
reason is sexual harassment, initially there was harassment for women first trying to enter the
industry and this is still a serious issue which holds woman back. There is still male dominance
in the industry due to the workplace being unsafe in many significant ways which is detrimental
to womens health. It is also quite intimidating to enter a field where you represent 1% of your
gender and face all of these challenges while trying to lead a healthy life. This discourages
women from entering the industry and forces many to leave. Despite increased efforts to
encourage women into the trade and an increase in female apprenticeship registrations there is
still a staggering ratio of men to women and not much change to the industries issues. Many
unions and organizations are trying desperately to change this situation and make these
workplaces safer and better for women, as well as promote women into this trade but the issues
have not yet been overcome for this industry to be a good trade opportunity for women.

Sources

[1]
Statistics Canada. [Online]. Available: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sumsom/l01/cst01/labor10a-eng.htm.

[2]
M.P. Connelly. (2006, February). Women in the Labour Force. The Canadian
Encyclopedia Historica Canada. [Online]. Available:
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/women-in-the-labour-force/.

[3]
L. Sugerman, B. Jenkins, and A. Osorio. (1999, June). Women in the Construction
Workplace: Providing Equitable Safety and Health Protection. Occupational Safety and Health
Administration. [Online]. Available: https://www.osha.gov/doc/accsh/haswicformal.html.

[4]
S. Ferguson. (2016, July). Women and Education: Qualifications, Skills and Technology.
Women in Canada: A Gender-based Statistical Report (89-503-X). [Online]. 7 (2015001)
Available: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/89-503-x/2015001/article/14640-eng.htm.