I was once asked if I preferred “Toots” over “Babe”. Is this how you talk to someone in power? I hope not, so it brings me to the question, what does authority look like in the Construction industry? What does authority look like at all? From personal experience, authority looks like a Danny and not like a Danielle.
How many of you out there have gender neutralized your name, like I have, to get your foot into the door for a position you are more than qualified for?
How many of you have walked into a meeting and have been told by the other party how they would like their coffee, rather than being seated because they assumed you are not the Director of Construction like I am?
If you do not share the situations above with me, it does not mean you have not been without prejudice or judgment, but I’d like to suggest this article is more familiar to women then men. According to Build Force Canada, in 2019 Women made up 4.7% of the On-Site Construction Workforce and 41.2% of the Off-Site Workforce in Canada. Is this a hint that the perception of us women is that we are more suitable in the office, even though men take the win at 58.8%?
Personally, I do not believe that men and women are equal, but I do believe that we complement each other, and we deserve equal respect. Women share lots of these experiences amongst themselves and because of this, there are associations supporting this “Cause”, habitually with zero men in attendance. But we are experiencing a massive labor shortage in the construction industry and while I am no math whiz, it seems simple how we can begin to fill in these positions. Women are a valuable resource and things do need to change.
Only one person has ever apologized to me for their judgment and he was a temporary labourer on one of my sites. I have attached the note here and I hope it inspires others to stand up for what is right
Change for me started with signing the BC Builders Code Pledge and now I am using my platform to join the conversation.
Yours truly,
Dani Ferenc, Director of Construction
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