Key findings include:

• Nearly three-quarters identified unfamiliarity with opportunities and benefits as the greatest challenge to recruiting women, and just under two-thirds pointed to the lack of childcare.
• More than half said an apprenticeship/pre-apprenticeship program and mentorship/networking opportunities are among the top three programs and benefits that will improve recruitment and retention of women in the building trades.

The biggest challenges with recruiting women to the building trades

As illustrated in the following graph, more than half of respondents identified five issues as being among the biggest challenges.

* The write-in responses encompassed unequal treatment of women, attitudes towards women in the trades and issues related to family building.

Promoting careers in the trades to women can address three of the challenges listed above. Offering childcare programs or financial assistance for childcare would meet another need. Only recruiting and retention success will solve the fifth of the top five issues: lack of other women, underrepresentation. 

The top programs and benefits that may help recruit and retain women

We asked respondents to choose three programs and benefits they believe will improve the recruitment and retention of women in the building trades. The options can be bundled into two major categories: job development and family/caregiver support.

Job development was the clear winner. As illustrated by the graph below, more than half of respondents selected an apprenticeship/pre-apprenticeship program and mentorship/networking opportunities. Additionally, nearly half of respondents think offering a childcare discount, subsidy or voucher would be helpful and more than 40 percent think offering maternity/parental leave would be helpful.

* The write-in responses were “dental and vision,” “direct entry for women to apprenticeship and employment,” “other women supporting them,” “paid holidays/sick time,” “preparing the current workforce to be an inclusive working group” and “modified job duties/task requirements.”

Key takeaways

Building trades that offer apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs geared to women might be able to increase participation by building awareness. Building trades that don’t yet offer those programs may wish to consider introducing similar training opportunities.

Meeting families’ childcare needs is also an important consideration for construction industry employers and unions that want to recruit and retain women. While childcare is a family issue (not just a women’s issue), women assume most responsibility for childcare.

Learn more

The survey confirms observations we made in our recent article, “Recruiting and Retaining Women in the Building Trades.”

About the respondents

More than three-quarters of the survey respondents are union members.

The pie chart below shows the breakdown by their industry affiliation.