Women Take Up More Jobs in U.S. Construction for Higher Pay, but... "Still Often Ignored After 20 Years in the Field"

Women enter construction, heavy equipment and other industries
Gender discrimination and being ignored remain challenges at worksites

Women are reportedly entering fields such as construction and heavy equipment maintenance in the United States. This is happening as women move into blue-collar jobs in search of higher wages, while the industry also faces a chronic shortage of skilled workers.

According to an analysis by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on November 2, the share of women working in construction, repair, installation, and related industries in the United States was 4.4% last year. That was up 1.5 percentage points from 2.9% a decade earlier. Women are entering fields traditionally considered male domains, including plumbing, carpentry, and auto repair.

A construction site in the United States. The photo is unrelated to any specific wording in the article. Pixabay.

Women are actively changing jobs in search of higher wages. Sammy Koseoteu, who works as a tower crane operator, originally graduated from a liberal arts college and moved from job to job at call centers and restaurants before switching careers to construction. She is now a veteran operator with 10 years of experience, working 12 hours a day and earning $120,000 (about KRW 160 million) a year.

Employers are also working hard to recruit women. The United States is seeing skilled workers retire as the population ages, disrupting the supply of labor in blue-collar industries.

Turner Construction, a major construction company, has expanded its flexible work arrangements. Global construction company Skanska has redesigned work clothes, gloves, helmets, and other gear to fit women's bodies, after female employees had to wear equipment designed for men. It is also creating a family-friendly environment at construction sites by providing nursing areas and refrigerators for storing breast milk.

The outlet reported, however, that gender discrimination and harassment at worksites remain challenges to be addressed. Turner has established procedures requiring senior executives to join a conference call within four hours of receiving a report of a gender discrimination incident. At a construction site in Texas recently, insulting graffiti targeting women was discovered. When the perpetrator could not be identified, all 12 members of the male work crew at the site were replaced.

Rebecca Huestis, a tile crew forewoman in South Dakota, told the WSJ, "Even after 20 years in the job, I still sometimes encounter workers who disregard me or refuse to follow my instructions," adding, "The atmosphere at worksites is gradually improving."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.