The Sunday News
Qinisani Qali Ndlovu
In my time in construction, one phenomenon has remained constant, the absence of women in the construction industry. One could write a book about the possible reasons for their minimal or total lack of participation in an industry.
Desktop research on women’s participation in the construction industry in Zimbabwe reveals a huge gap in terms of participation. A 2019 report by the Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe (IDBZ) revealed the extent to which infrastructure projects are gender insensitive.
According to the report, the construction industry had (96.5% men and 3.5% women); Water supply, sewerage and waste management (97% men and 3% women); Transportation and storage (91.2% men and 8.8% women); Electricity, gas and air conditioning (77.5% men and 22,5% women); and Information and Communication (84.4% men and 15.6% women). Zooming back into the construction sector, the writer has experienced first-hand how minimal the female face is in the industry.
In most scenarios, female university and polytechnic graduates or candidates seem to favour subjects such as quantity surveying, architecture and building design. Such subjects place them at the periphery of what entails urban management and construction.
The writer argues that for one to have a first-hand experience into the brick and mortar of construction, subjects like project management, building studies and civil engineering deeply immense one into the construction industry. Before we swing a sledgehammer at women for their lack of participation lets dive into the contributing factors to this phenomenon.
When we were young, the most frequent question one was asked was ‘what do you want to be when you grow up? Between that question being asked and the level of socialisation received vis-a-vis life opportunities, one would either manifest away or towards the answer to the question above.
Let’s then tie this question to career choices at university level. The above-mentioned subject choices are determined by several factors, that may fall under socio-economic, academic background and personal preferences. Are our girls in society socialised in the right manner in as far as sectors like construction are concerned? Are our girls willing to swap their swanky Instagram posts for a pair of safety shoes and overalls? Is society still engendering roles and job titles?
When we begin to ask these questions openly and honestly, we will then begin to open up space for women in male dominated industries.
Employers also contribute to the reduced numbers of women within the sector that is male dominated and shows no signs of entertaining women in “men’s roles’’. Jobs like project manager, civil engineer, and builder often attract males, but to what extent do employers discourage female applicants. Well, being a construction professional myself, I often walk into male dominated offices, the verbal and body language, and demeanour of employees and at times employers is likely to put off many female applicants.
The selection process during interviews is 85% skewed towards male applicants, it is not uncommon to hear of talk like “uzakwanisa ku site lowu?” translated as will she manage on site? It’s an interview and the lady is in heels, is that enough basis to make a decision about her capabilities, skills and personality on the job? This, in the writer’s view is where the battle between employment and unemployment is won and lost for female applicants.
It is these frustrations that have pushed people towards entrepreneurship, but again when it comes to construction in Zimbabwe, only a fraction of women are found in the industry.
The writer’s interaction with female heads of construction companies, paints a picture of marginalisation, lack of knowledge and interest as well as lack of confidence. These are common symptoms that one would likely exhibit in a male dominated industry. But just why do the few women end up in the construction industry?
The mention of the word “construction’’ creates an image of sweaty overalls, smelly safety shoes, mud filled finger nails and hard labour. Women are known to be smart, orderly creatures, who need to look good every minute of a 24-hour day, this is likely one of the reasons why this profession is frowned upon.
The current crop of girls and women are mostly influenced by social media, it is a disease that has slowly drowned professions such as construction and civil engineering down the pecking order in as far as financial returns are concerned. Therefore, monetary returns are placed at the apex at the expense of gaining experience and building a professional network.
One experience I encountered in 2017 involved a very bright student who sought attachment from my company, when she was contacted for an interview, she was not forthcoming, only to send an email to Human Recourses two days later asking if she would be paid on her attachment. Mind you this was one brilliant student and she asked this before being interviewed. It is such attitudes that are likely to drive the number of women in construction down.
The economic hardships faced by many Zimbabweans has led to women turning to the construction industry for employment, it is a common sight for university graduates in fields like actuarial science, accounting and biology to turn into casual labourers in the construction sector.
My dilemma stems from the realisation that it takes hardships for one to consider a career in construction! Society needs to address the socialisation conduits that children use in forging careers in or away from construction.
Construction business leaders have a big role to play in encouraging women to take up construction. Quotas reserved for women are cosmetics of gender equality and are simply not enough to lure talented female artisans. Until next time stay safe and observe Covid-19 regulations for a safer construction industry.
Feedback: [email protected]
