When I joined the world of construction, I did not have many expectations of a career. Because I thought I would be rejected. And I was very much so at the beginning. But I fell in love too much with the beauty of seeing something come to life under your eyes and guidance, to give it all up because ‘I was doing a man’s job’.
Years went by, and I started to see more and more female presence on a building site, but most of the time underrated and undermined. I am not a feminist, and I don’t believe in the whole ‘a female can do it better, but why can’t we add a woman’s skills to the power of a man? Why can’t a woman organise construction works all while she’s in her working boots around many skilled blokes ready to listen and execute?
I see potential in mixing and pushing the diversity aspect in construction. Let’s give the beautiful female minds a chance together with the overall expertise of the man sector. The benefit of a well-structured project delivered in time and within budget is something we can all be proud of later.
I feel good about my achievements so far, and even tho it has been a rocky road, I benefit from the rewards now. I will be forever grateful for the experiences, skills developed and people I have worked with, and projects I have delivered.
So maybe next time you wish to hire, tick both boxes at the gender question. You will never know how incomplete your team is until you have tried all the options.