Zack Thompson

Mr. Mills
Senior Research Paper English IV
November 18

The Effects of Equality in The Construction Workforce

Thesis: Gender equality in The Construction Workforce

I.
II.
III.
A.
B.

The Origin of construction

Outline for paper
Women in the Workforce
Stats of Women in Workforce
Women injuries

IV. Sexual harassment

A. Patricia Volley ( Black Female Construction worker)
B.Salary Problems
V. Men's perspective of Women

VI. A Day With A Construction business owner

VII. Conclusion

The Construction business in today's world is one of the most important jobs you can have.
It requires a lot of hard work,dedication,strength, and a strong mentality. The construction
industry makes a vital contribution to the competitiveness and prosperity of the economy. A
modern, efficient infrastructure is a key driver of productivity, and the construction industry has a
major role in delivering the built infrastructure in an innovative and cost effective way.
(Lawson).Construction dates back to 12,000 BCE when a number of excavation sites were
discovered in Europe. The Industry has also not been as active as it use to be.In today's world the
construction Industry is not as loved upon as it use to be. Today people do not realize how much
the Construction industry helps not only them but the economy, other business, and even in
certain cases the environment. Now some people also say that the industry is too dangerous, it
cost too much, it harms the environment, and even that we don't really need the industry . If there
was no Construction then what would we have? There would be no schools , no parks, no
buildings, nothing.

In this paper i will go through the main points on Gender Equality of the Construction
Industry.I will say why its is a dangerous job, why is it is great job to have, and why it is the most
important job to have in America and why It does not matter what gender you are.Throughout the
twentieth century, the construction industry did achieve negative attention as one of the most
potentially hazardous in terms of occupational risk for workers employed in the field.This means
that out of all the jobs in the world, being a Construction worker was one of the most dangerous
jobs you can have, and to this day that statement still stands. It has been proven to be more
dangerous than any other job in 2016.More people have gotten hurt while on the job in 2015 then

there were murders in New Jersey.Not only have people got hurt but in some cases they have
been killed. In 2015 in the state of Texas 105 people died on the job. And that number is still on
the rise.When sitting in front of a computer, the most serious injury an employee will experience
is likely carpal tunnel syndrome. This is not the case when working on a construction site, where
something as simple as a slip or fall can cause serious injury or even death. While construction
sites are safer now than in the past, Constructions sites and workers are still very dangerous to
operate in. 1 in 10 construction worker get injured. That means for every 10 workers hired 1 is
guaranteed to to get injured while on the job.
People nowadays think that construction is a Mans Job. While only 9% of U.S.
construction workers are women, which is a relatively small percentage compared to other
industries there were still over 800,000 women workers employed in construction .But women
have been slowly been getting jobs in the field. 1 in every 30 constructions workers are in fact
women. But back in the early 1900s women were not allowed to even try and be a construction
worker. It was frowned upon by everyone. Women were still seen as housewifes and in and
around the house workers. Any job that was seen a a potential dangerous workfield. But since
then not only have women applied to be a construction worker, they have been in the field, they
have helped on some of the biggest building in the world. The number of women employed in the
U.S construction industry grew substantially by 81.3% from 1985 to 2007;however, due to a loss
of over 2.5 million construction jobs from 2007-2010,there was a huge decline in women
construction workers.(OSHA) More than 300k women Construction workers either got fired or
quit by 2010. At that time only 9% of construction workers were women. And in 2010 only 3% of
women were women. But in some countries women still are not allowed to be a construction
worker. Specifically in third world countries.They are seen as being too fragile to have such a

hard working job. And they need to be at home either taking care of their kids, Someone else
kids, or cleaning up the house.
In addition to the main safety and health hazards faced by construction workers, there are
health that only happen to female construction workers. While both men and women working in
construction face most of the same risks, there are multiple unique issues that concern women
more than men. As increasing numbers of women enter the construction trades, concerns about
their health and safety are increasing.In addition to the primary main safety and health hazards
faced by both men and women construction workers but there are safety and health issues only
concerning only female construction workers.(OSHA).
Physical safety is not the only safety issue women are having in the workforce.Sex
discrimination and anti-women attitudes are still prevalent on worksite. The National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health found that, in a one year period, 41% of female construction
workers suffered from gender harassment.. Because society saw her as too little and so did her
boss she never actually felt like she was actually doing her job 88% of female construction
workers have reported sexual harassment.If women do get the job then they have to deal with
several problems in the workplace.One of them being that they are always in a hostile
envroment.A hostile workplace presents safety and health concerns on several levels, ranging
from a lack of training and not knowing regulations to safety information to physical assault. The
construction industry has been male dominated for years, and on many jobsites women
construction workers are not welcome.This is because they are considered Fragile or
Weak.They are also seen as a distraction to the male workers. Women being a distraction is
the most known reason for not getting hired. Despite the fact that sex discrimination is illegal
Several studies have shown that female construction workers suffer from gender and sexual

harassment, a factor associated with low job satisfaction as well as psychological and
physiological health symptoms and workplace injuries.(OSHA)
Patricia Valoy was not the average worker when she began her internship at a
construction site in college.As a woman of color, she is rare among construction workers: women
make up just 2.6% of all employees in construction and extraction jobs, and majority of those
women are white((NWLC). Hispanic women make up just .4 percent of construction workers,
while african Americans are just .2 percent, and Asian and Native American are each .1
percent.That number has surprisingly grown since the early 2000s. When only about .02 percent
of construction workers were Asian or Native American. The men she worked with asked her out
on dates, which was completely inappropriate, commented on my body, and would comment on
her abilities. That was the hardest part. The thing that bothered Patriac the most was feeling
intimidated by the other Male Workers or just discrimination in general. On the first day of her
internship. It was Patrica and another women and two other young males.The boss came in and
took the young males and said I don't work women.This is a huge problem in the workforce in
general. Women in The construction business always get undermined in construction for no
reason.

The hourly pay int construction is about 10 dollars. But women are being paid about 8 or 9
dollars. The Institutes study shows that the pay gap between women and men in construction
which the organization combines into a single category, is the smallest among all industries.For
every dollar that a man makes, a women only makes about 80 cents. And Even if the women is in
a higher position, she still barely or in some cases equal to the men below her.Men in the
Construction Industry are still paied about 20 per cents more then women, according to a
workforce diversity speciaist.The Gender pay gap has been growing steadlily over the last

decade. Women use to get paid about 40-50 lower than men did. Some studies show a pay gap
of 500 dollars a week on average between men and women.But in the last 2 Years studies have
showed that not only have women been evening the Gender Gap closer. They have actually been
getting the same pay as men in some cases. This is because women have been joining either in
high school or straight out of high school. This is because the younger you are, the more likely
you are to get the job. Because you are young and your bones have not been broken down,
damaged or anything yet.
Women have actually helped a lot in not only in the blueprint or planning ahead but as
well as lifting anything i can and operating heavy machinery(Rick).The majority of men in the
construction workforce have actually praised women in them helping men in multiple task.Since
2013 there have been more and more women applying for a construction job and getting the job
and loving the job. Not because of the outdoors but because they met new friends and they were
nice back. Theres a woman named nancy that i work with and she is the best worker i have out
of 70 workers. She has helped me with numerous blueprints,financing and operating
machinery.(Rick).In today's modern world, construction is not seen as a Males job or a Males
Worlds. As much as it use to be.In 2015 there was only 27% of females construction workers
who filed for sexual harassment.That nu,ber is still counting to drop to this day. This is a huge
accomplishment that has been achieved. For that number has never been lower than 81%.
Instead of just using the women as a piece of Eye candy, Women are becoming more and more
active. And by active, that means you see more women out in the world in the field in the field.
Even across racial lines. Out of all female Construction workers, about 21 percent of them are
african american, and about 19 percent are Asian or Native American. And the Demand of
Construction workers is always increasing, that just means more spots of female workers of all

ethnicity.And since there is more ethnicity, that only means that the workforce is only more
diverse.
Being In the Construction is not only a big risk, it is also a huge experience and a great
opportunity to meek some great people. It also very time consuming.(rick)On Average a
Construction worker spends anywhere between 20 and 70 hours a week on a project. And that
project can take anywhere between 3 weeks to several months or maybe even years. It will just
as well physically drain you. You wake up anywhere between 5-8 and worker between 8 to about
11 or 12 hours a day.And that does not count any work that you have to take home and finish
before the next day. So you only get about 6 hours a night of sleep.Not to mention if you have a
family, you may only see them about 3-5 hours a day. You will feel like you can not doing anything
then find out you have only been working a hour or two.The only real solution to this problem is to
just work through it. Because all of your colleagues are suffering the same problem.
But they good part is you knowing you persevered through all the hard times and got to
see all the good times with your friends and other colleagues, as you all work as a team whether
you like each other or not, knowing that you were able to put your differences aside and come
together and achieve the goal and finish the project. Knowing that you got to help someone else
out and them trusting you to build them a house,building or some other structure is very
rewarding That you got to work as a team achieve the big goal as a trem even through the most
challenging times such as over budget, or natural disaster, or something totally unexpected.The
best part about my job is whenever i complete the project and get to see the reaction of the
owner and knowing i did a good job. Also seeing all the young women and men that i work with
maturing and working together despite their differences and learning all the tricks and seeing
them not only see them start as a team but finish as a team. (Rick).

The workforce is a very important job in not only the United states of America but other
countries as well.Just because you are a women or you have a different ethnic background does
not mean you can not work in Construction workforce As long as you have a good
attitude,determination,a hardworking attitude, and the willpower to get through all the hard times,
you can be a construction worker It will take determination and a hard working attitude, as well
as willpower and it does not matter if you are male or female. It does not matter if you are white,
African American, Asian,Native American, You need to be able to put aside your differences and
be able to work as a team. Because at the end of the day You worked as a team(Rick)

Work Cited

Women In Construction Occupational Safety and Health

Administration.Occupational Safety and Health Administration 200
Constitution Av

Pay Equality & Discrimination

www.institutionforwomenspolicyReasearch.org

Buliding Construction http://school.eb.com/ NcWiseOwl

What Its Like To Be One Of The Only Female Construction Workers In America
ThinkProgres.org

Interview with the owner of Bo Dodd Construction Rick Dodd