The month of March is known as Women’s History Month, where women of all backgrounds are highlighted for their many great contributions to events in history and in our society.
What a perfect time to celebrate women in construction! At the beginning of March, we celebrated Women in Construction (WIC) Week, which was created by the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC). Their mission is to raise awareness of the opportunities available for women in the industry and emphasize the growing role of women in construction.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 14 percent of all construction workers are women, which is an all-time high and steadily increasing. Also according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Population Survey, the number of women in construction has more than doubled since 2013, where 840,000 women were working in the construction industry. Just shy of ten years later, in 2022, 1.28 million women were working in construction. That’s a 52.9 percent increase! There is still a lot of room for growth, but progress is being made.
At Hill & Wilkinson, we have an internal group for women called Women Breaking Ground, which is an organization of women who are committed to providing inclusivity through support, inspiration, and advocacy for one another.
This group started in 2019 and fosters personal and professional relationship-building through book club meetings, happy hours, panel discussions, and various team-building events. Most recently, to celebrate WIC Week, Project Manager Lindy Hammon led a tour of our JJ Pearce project for some of the women of Hill & Wilkinson and our Women Breaking Ground group.
Fifty-five women are employed at Hill & Wilkinson, with 14 of them in leadership and management roles. Between them, they offer 511 combined years of experience! We are proud to celebrate all of the hardworking women in all areas of construction. From the office to the field, women are paving the way to break new ground in the construction industry!