Attracting women to construction

09/04/2018

How can we attract women to the traditionally male-dominated construction industry?

Sara Prendergast, Finance Manager at Downer, has been sharing her research at National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) events across Australia.

Sara’s research was undertaken through the NAWIC International Women’s Day scholarship program, which over the past decade has had a measurable impact on women’s leadership opportunities in the construction industry.

Sara (pictured) said: “Diversity is a key focus area at Downer. We recognise that diverse perspectives and representations drive innovation and financial performance and create a more engaged and productive workforce.”

Sara’s research focuses on strategies to entice women into traditionally male-dominated operational roles within the construction industry.

“My research highlights the need to cast the labour net wide to attract female employees, be clearer on role requirements, and ensure external talent and labour hire agencies, as well as internal talent sourcing departments, have key performance criteria attached to gender diversity,” said Sara.

Sara’s findings also highlighted the importance of cascading reporting from executive to crew level on gender diversity to “change the view of who is accountable for attracting women to operational roles”.

Sara also found that communication plays an important role in encouraging diversity in the workforce. When employees know about and understand what diversity programs their company has in place, they are able to get on board and show their support.

“The NAWIC $20,000 scholarship allowed me to undertake this important research. Gender diversity in an organisation brings different perspectives to the table, which has a positive impact on culture and overall governance systems, something that ultimately creates stronger businesses,” added Sara.

Click here to find out more about Sara and other NAWIC International Women’s Day Scholarship winners.

Click here to read Sara’s research paper.