by This is the age of feminism and equality. Gender biases are crumbling to ashes. Women in this 21st century have conquered heights that the previous generation would not have thought possible. We have seen women climb the tallest mountain, represent us at international level competitions, and govern the country as president (Pratibha Patil, the 12th president of India, 2007-2012). Yet, gender bias is ingrained into our society from years and years of conditioning. It is not something that we can eradicate in one generation. There are sectors that remain closed to women even today. Also, there are mindsets that we cannot change in one day. Here is an approach about women in construction!
Construction is one of the male-dominated sectors in the economy, from migrant workers to top-level architects, engineers, and consultants. This tier has been exclusive. The construction sector has only very recently opened up to the possibility of a woman leading a project. Even then, they have to face a barrage of oppositions, problems, harassment, and even blatant sexism. The idea that a woman can be the sole chief architect still induces a wide-mouthed gape from several people who still cannot wrap their heads around it.
“You have to really believe not only in yourself; you have to believe that the world is actually worth your sacrifices”
– Zaha Hadid
After a bachelor’s degree that lasts half a decade, the encouragement for women is to get married and settle down with little or no regard for her career or dreams. The society expects them to become stay-at-home mothers in spite of being highly qualified. This is true for all sectors. Given the equal opportunity, anyone can shine at any workplace irrespective of their gender. And yet, after a professional course such as architecture, the female architect is always persuaded to go into teaching or research. Women in construction are coerced into subjects like interior design and landscape design for their masters because apparently that is the softer option.
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Our ancestors often associated with a male partner, usually their husbands in order to practice as an architect. From Le Corbusier (Charlotte Perriand-Furniture design), and Alvar Aalto (Aino Aalto-Interiors and design contributions), to Frank Lloyd Wright (Marion Mahony-Major design contributions), have all had women working with them. These partnerships have given many notable works that have been wrongly attributed to the male partner in the association. This is mostly because they are more revered and renowned in their fields. This reverence and wrongful assignment of credit were due to the underlying gender bias women face on a daily basis from society.
Women in Construction
Sadly, this gender bias is still prevalent in our society, over a century after the first qualified female architect in the world. Her name was Signe Hornborg. She graduated in 1890 under “special permission” as women were not allowed to attend the college at the time. She became the world’s first qualified female architect, paving the way for the change we see in the construction sector today.
This is a society of wage gaps and gender-based discrimination – a society that laughs at the dreams of a career-driven woman and asks her to settle for a rich husband. This is a society that says women to be highly educated, but you do not have to earn or be independent because that is the man’s job. It is not surprising that we have many qualified women who do not pursue a career for fear of rejection, humiliation, and a job that gives no possibility of a promotion or better pay just because you are a woman. There are firms that are not willing to hire female supervisors, site engineers, and architects because they assume that a man is more commanding. This bias has been going on since time immemorial, and today, we need change.
“What the gods have given us we are under obligation to share with humanity, with the world”
– Marion Mahony Griffin
The equality of women in the workplace should start at home. We should encourage young people who want to join the construction sector. The young mind needs to be nurtured and pushed in the right direction, rather than being coerced into marriage. Education should not stop at a bachelor’s degree. If a person wants to study further, their gender should not be an obstacle.
The voices of women are heard now more than ever and we need to speak up. Be it in the case of sexist behavior, harassment, or wage gaps, we owe it to our strong ancestors to make sure our problems are heard and solved. We should encourage women in construction to participate and lead projects. This serves as inspiration and role models for other women to represent and relate to.
The strength and perseverance of a woman are necessary for a sector such as construction, and it’s high time we realized that. What do you say?