U.S. is falling behind in getting more women into building trades

America is unique among nations: We were built with the idea that all individuals are created equal. Yet that seldom plays out as a reality in the American labor market.

We, as a country, have reaped great benefits from the increasing role that women have played in our economy. Why are we falling behind in recruiting and retaining more women to work in the building trades and construction industries?

AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler has called Gen Z the "tool belt generation." We are seeing more young workers opt for apprenticeships and careers in the trades as an alternative to a college degree.

Despite increased demand for these careers, women make up only 4.3% of the workforce in the construction trades. In addition, recruitment and retention of women in the Illinois construction industry has stayed at a flat 5% since 2003, according to the Illinois Department of Labor.

With federal funding from the CHIPS Act, the Inflation Reduction Act and the Investment and Jobs Act, the construction industry is poised for growth with high-quality union jobs.

In addition, Gov. JB Pritzker’s announcement of $13.4 million to transition workers to the clean energy sector throughout Illinois will provide ample opportunity to recruit more women and minorities into the building trades. 

AFL-CIO building and construction trade unions have found solutions to ensure women have access to the benefits they need to retain careers in the trades. Several building trade unions have adopted maternity leave policies and made it a priority in their collective bargaining process. Others are still negotiating with employers to prioritize parental leave benefits in contracts.

Child care issues hurt women

Illinois lawmakers are also doing their part to help working families, yet the scales are tipped against working women. The average worker lacks paid parental leave and struggles to find child care that accommodates a nontraditional schedule. Additionally, nonunion workers in the child care field are often paid poverty wages that make it difficult to recruit and retain trusted workers.

Union membership boosts wages for all workers and is the best way to close the wage gap. However, due to our limited child care system, it is extraordinarily difficult for tradeswomen, as well as others working non-traditional hours and tasked with parental responsibilities, to earn the equivalent of their male counterparts.

Women in construction report having to frequently turn down overtime hours due to child care responsibilities. Doing so means forgoing extra pay and pension credits and being labeled as undependable by the boss. In contrast, their male counterparts who can take on the extra hours will accumulate more pay and retire sooner.

We are at a turning point in Illinois. As we look to November, we need to do everything in our power to protect working people.

The labor movement, government and industry have an opportunity to partner and invest in the future of our workforce. The Illinois AFL-CIO introduced a resolution at its recent constitutional convention to narrow the gender gap in the construction industry. We are committed to continuing the fight to secure workplace and public policy solutions that create a more diverse and equitable workforce.

Together, we can recruit and retain more women in the trades by being clear about our equity goals, implementing new strategies, and by ensuring women have an opportunity to learn about, enter and succeed in the workforce.

Tim Drea is president of the Illinois AFL-CIO. Mandy Jo Ganieany is Women’s CORE Committee Chair of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades and director of organizing for Painters District Council 30.

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