I found your entry while searching for sexism in the construction industry. I’ve been through three major renovations and I’ve experienced a surprising amount of sexism. My husband and I don’t fit into traditional roles in our work around the house. I am the fix-it, design-it, built-it person and he’s good with regular tasks. So, I’ve always been the point person during renovations. I’ve only managed to find ONE female contractor (painter) to work with. The rest are men. They can be quite rude, find ways to put me in my place, constantly interrupt and talk over me, and if my husband happens to be present they only talk to him. Even if I’m the only one asking questions, they listen to me then turn to my husband to answer the question! When they bring in a material to get approval for, they seek out my husband for that approval, even if we make it known that I’m the one handling the renovation. Fortunately not all of the guys I’ve encountered are like this, but a shocking majority are. You’d think that CA would be more ahead of the curve on this, but no. There are also the tangential issues, like that the construction industry, being mostly male, seem to feel rather entitled in their behaviors. This industry mostly does its work in people’s living environments, in residential areas, and therefore should exhibit some sensitivity. But instead they arrive and act as if they are in their own living spaces; they seem to feel entitled to blast their music while working on-site so that the entire city block can hear it, or to break out the 6 pack on site after hours, to talk liberally on their cell phones while logging hours at the property owners expense. I for one would NEVER do these things on a job site. They also get paid extremely well, much better, in my opinion, than jobs that are predominantly held by women with a similar level of training. We should either pay them less or pay the women more.

All of this must stop. Why hasn’t more changed in this area?! We must bring awareness to this issue, stand up to and require change when we meet it, and get better education on this into the construction licensing programs.

Thank you for sharing.