WomenBuild members at the summer golf tournament. Photo courtesy of WomenBuild.
While at an industry golf tournament for the Edmonton Construction Association (ECA), director of membership and networking engagement, Caroline Bowen was shocked to see she was one of the only women in attendance. “There were 144 men at this tournament and maybe four women,” says Bowen.
Although it was disappointing to Bowen, that she was one of the only women at the event, it wasn’t something she was unused to. Within the skilled trades, only five per cent of the industry is made up of women, according to Statistics Canada – and that includes hairdressing and styling. The large gap in the demographic, makes women a clear minority in the trades, especially construction.
However, this disparity was the push Bowen needed to make a change within her own association. The ECA had other sub-groups for members like Young Builders Group and Professional Estimating Group, but nothing specifically for women. Initially, she was a bit hesitant to approach the board of directors because she was concerned about creating a sort of “boys club,” says Bowen, who makes a point to say it is not an “us against them,” and despite the group being for women – the space is inclusive to all.
“We had never done anything just for women before,” says Bowen who had several female members approach her and ask about female-based events. A golfer herself, Bowen decided to establish a women’s golf tournament for ECA members in the summer of 2018. “A lot of us couldn’t even golf,” jokes Bowen. “But it was all in good fun and making connections.” The tournament initially started with only 16 women – but by the following summer, the number quickly doubled.
Realizing she had something special on her hands, Bowen organized a speaker series and invited women across the industry to discuss their experiences in the trades. The series completely sold out with 130 women in attendance.
“We came up with a mandate and presented it to the board,” says Bowen. And by 2020 WomenBuild was established as an official sub-group of the ECA. “WomenBuild is meant to inspire, connect and motivate women in our industry to lean on one another and work together.”
Today, there are around 700 members in WomenBuild, including project manager Carolyn Aumiller.
Caroline Bowen (left) with WomenBuild speaker. Photo courtesy of WomenBuild.
“I think a lot of women in this industry are afraid to come to events,” says Aumiller. “But when more women started to participate and the word got out, we felt more comfortable networking.
Aumiller has been a part of WomensBuild for the last five years, attending golf tournaments and events from the beginning. Aumiller shares that at the last WomenBuild golf tournament, 144 women attended. “It was absolutely amazing, it was the largest women’s tournament Edmonton had ever seen,” says Aumiller. “So many women came out and supported each other, it’s a special camaraderie. “
One of the most important things WomenBuild offers to its members is the space for open dialogue about issues that specifically impact them. “Sometimes it is difficult to have conversations in a male-dominated industry,” says Bowen. “So we’re balancing it out.”
To keep male leaders in the industry knowledgeable on the issues impacting women, Bowen often invites them to meetings. One female leader on the WomenBuild shared there was no toilet seat in the jobsite outhouse. “A bunch of women were like ‘Yes, that happened to me too,’” says Bowen. Ultimately, this discussion led to the concern being addressed.
“We’re all in the same boat,” says Aumiller who agrees having a place for sharing stories, ideas and career tips amongst other women is incredibly valuable. Both Bowen and Aumiller hope to see more sub-groups like WomenBuild become more common in every province.
To Aumiller, having more accessible female-led groups in the trades industry may encourage more girls to pursue construction and similar industries. “It would be nice for them to know there is a network and support.”
“Like it or not women are a minority in the industry, there are not a ton of us, but we are growing,” says Bowen. “I hope we can inspire other women to join and to not be nervous.”
Bowen hopes to see more groups like WomenBuild develop across the country. To Bowen, the most important thing WomenBuild has done besides making women in the industry visible is “making a connection.”