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Recruiting Women in Construction: Challenges and Opportunities
Recruiting Women in Construction: Challenges and Opportunities
The construction industry in Peru faces an urgent need to incorporate female talent into a historically male-dominated sector. This challenge presents significant obstacles,
but it also opens up opportunities for growth and innovation. According to Paul Pérez, Manager – Oil & Gas, Energy & Construction at Cornerstone: “In our division, we observe that of the 5% of women working in construction, the majority are in social, environmental, safety, and occupational health roles.”
Likewise, the talent management specialist notes that “It’s not just a matter of equity; bringing female talent into construction is also a smart strategy to drive innovation and sustainable growth in the sector.”
Despite progress in gender equality, there are significant challenges in recruiting female talent, such as:
● Gender stereotypes and the wage gap: both gender-based barriers to entry and wage disparities discourage women’s participation and professional advancement.
● Work environment: Due to the nature of the sector, some female executives may be exposed to an organizational culture that is not very inclusive, empathetic, or receptive, which limits their interest and participation in recruitment processes for the sector.
● Slow professional growth: Compared to their male counterparts, there is still resistance to equitably promoting the growth of female talent in the sector. “It is important for them to feel their companies’ support in their long-term professional development. Coaching, mentoring, and leadership programs are the best practices in the sector,” says the specialist. Despite these challenges, the search for female talent in construction offers a number of significant opportunities, such as:
● Diversification of skills: the inclusion of women in construction roles brings a wide range of skills, perspectives, and approaches, which enriches creativity and problem-solving in projects.
● Leadership positions: While women remain a minority in leadership roles, companies are now more aware of the need to place them in key positions. Paul Pérez notes that “we are beginning to see more applications from female talent for project management, operations, administration, and finance roles.”
The search for female talent in construction is an economic and strategic necessity. According to Paul Pérez: “Currently, formal female participation in construction stands between 5% and 7%. Based on our experience and the efforts of Peruvian companies, we see a more promising future in the coming years where that figure could rise to 10%.”
Learn more about Cornerstone, a global firm specializing in Executive & Board Search and Talent Management Consulting, by visiting https://cornerstonegroup-miami.com
