Women’s Agenda, April 3, 2023

For women working in male-dominated industries like construction and engineering, the path to senior leadership is not always clear cut.

With a lack of visible female role models and senior leadership teams mostly made up of men, it can be difficult for women in the early and mid stages of their careers to find allies at work and articulate their career aspirations. 

And while it might not be immediately obvious, there are often significant negative outcomes when there aren’t enough female leaders in male-dominated sectors. For one, it can make it harder for these industries to attract, recruit and retain female employees. It also prevents the positive cultural change that happens when there is diversity of thought and experience in one workplace.

The construction industry, one of Australia’s largest employers, has one of the lowest levels of female workforce participation of any industry at only 12 per cent, according to a recent Infrastructure Australia Market Capacity Report.

The report notes that taking deliberate and meaningful action to diversify the industry’s workforce “can unlock the potential for a more resilient ecosystem that is capable of delivering Australia’s future infrastructure needs”. 

One highly effective way to lift the female workforce into leadership is through sponsorship — a strategic alliance between a senior leader and an emerging leader that can help reduce existing gender disparities in organisations.