As part of Women in Construction Week 2019, the Women of Hermanson hosted a Networking Event to bring together women of all disciplines within the construction industry on Thursday, March 7, at the LeMay Car Museum in Tacoma.

Over 100 women representing the trades, engineering, architecture/design, project management and support staff gathered for an evening of food, drink, fun and fantastic views. Through the generous donations of industry sponsors, the event was free and accessible to all.

Hermanson’s Marketing Director, Beth Chandler, shared with those gathered, “When I entered the AEC world, women were fairly well represented in traditional roles like accounting, administration and marketing. But there were no apprentices, no journeymen, no project managers, architects or engineers, and no executives. Now women are present in all levels of the industry – from the jobsite to the boardroom – and while our numbers are growing, we have a whole lot more to offer at all levels!”

Currently, women make up 9.1 percent of the construction industry in the United States and that number is steadily increasing. One of the factors contributing to greater numbers of women finding employment in construction is the gender pay gap is much narrower than in other industries. Women in construction earn an average of 95.7% of what men make as opposed to 81.1% elsewhere.

Pay equity is a very compelling reason why girls and young women should consider construction as a viable career path. Construction is expected to grow by 3% annually over the next several years, jobs are being created and the industry continues to embrace diversity in the workforce. Opportunity abounds!