In an industry that is so heavily male dominated, the situation of underrepresentation may be self- perpetuated by men employing men as a result of unconscious bias in the recruitment process.
THE CHAIR
Sarah Davis, Chair of Women in Building Services Engineering, speaks about the under- representation of women in male- dominated industries and how a female presence can bring huge benefits for all.
Having worked within the construction industry for 14 years, I have been privileged to work with some amazing people and on some wonderful buildings. I love this industry, but as a professional woman in the world of construction, it has not always been a smooth path to success.
Only 7% of engineers are female. When we set up WiBSE in 2012, I had no idea just how many women there were in our industry calling out for support; we built
our membership from zero to over 500 in 12 months.
In an industry that is so heavily male dominated, the situation of under-representation may be self- perpetuated by men employing men as a result of unconscious bias in the recruitment process. As Caroline Stassen MCIBSE, Environmental Engineering Associate at BDP, London, says: “The more women the public see in an industry, the more accessible it will be to women and girls joining.”
Recent research has proved that men and women’s brains are wired differently. A BBC news article, published in December 2013, reported that research by a US team at the University of Pennsylvania, scanning the brains of nearly 1,000 men, women, boys andgirls, had found striking differences:
“Male brains appeared to be wired front to back, with few connections
bridging the two hemispheres. In females, the pathways criss-crossed between left and right.”
Having women in construction design and implementation teams can help to soften the environments, inspire innovation, challenge the norms and enhance collaboration.
Unfortunately, sometimes in our industry, where women are very few in number, the pressure to conform is too great and some women subconsciously mirror male behaviour, attitudes and attire, which does not add benefit to the team dynamic, and can compromise the individual. By increasing the number of women in our industry, we enable women to be women and embrace their differences and add value.
-Reproduced from Building the Future: Women in Construction, Edited by Meg Munn MPP, published by The Smith Institute, with permission of Sarah Davis, WiBSE.
“Never take things personally and just keep working hard because things will start to happen – you’ll see!” - Helen Rowberry
“Learn about the industry and job to such an extent that your gender doesn’t matter, and always be professional.” - Wendy Adams
Tomorrow's Flooring: Women in Flooring
“Have confidence in yourself, but don’t be deluded – listen to others for advice and consider the opinions of others.” - Eszter Gulacsy
“Always keep your own council, be authentic, value reciprocity and think ‘BIG’.” - Sarah Davis
“Trust in yourself and your abilities… and the rest will follow.” - Kathy Wilkinson
08
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72
