International Women’s Day recognises and celebrates how far we have come with regard to the achievements of women; as well as acting as a reminder to #PressforProgress.

There is much to be proud of but we still have a long way to go; especially in the construction industry.  The Design Futures Council recently conducted research on the status of women in the industry and the results really drive home the fact that other industries are progressing faster with diversity initiatives with the architecture, engineering and construction sectors failing to keep up.  This is supported by the data released by WGEA on the industry gender pay gap that shows that no real progress has been made in the last 3 years:

• Only 3% of respondents felt that the industry is tackling gender equity well;
• 27% of respondents felt affected by a lack of opportunity participate in professional development;
• 33% believe that the industry is lagging behind;
• 18% believe the industry is doing an “okay” job, but “not great”.

Source: WGEA Data Explorer

So how does your organisation match up? There are some proactive initiatives and actions that your business can take to understand the extent of gender parity:

• Undertake a gender pay equity review and organisational pay gap – are you paying women and men equal salary for equal work
• Gender composition – use people data to respond to the following questions:

·         Are you attracting and retaining women in your organisation at the same rates as   men?

·         Are the rates of women leaving your organisation higher than men, and if so, do                 you see any trends in their tenure or in key roles or levels?

·         What is the gender composition at all levels and functions in your organisation and    are there roles where one gender has significantly lower representation?

This data can help you recognise barriers to equality and help you build a targeted strategy to improve diversity at all levels within your organisation. Other steps to consider include supporting organisations such as NAWIC whose mission is to "champion and empower women in the construction and related industries to reach their full potential” and ensuring that if your organisation has over 100 employees, that you complete the annual WGEA report.