Building on Skill: Why Gender Isn't the Focus in Construction Leadership

Does talking about women in construction help attract more women into the industry? We didn’t set out to answer that question when we visited two sites led by women project managers. Our initial idea was to showcase these Zehr Group sites—22 Frederick Street and the SYLK Towers, both in Kitchener—as examples of women making an impact in the industry.

At the end of the tours, we realized the real question was whether highlighting women in leadership roles is helping or is it missing the mark.

While the number of women in construction and the skilled trades has been increasing, there is still a disparity between on-site and management roles. Women represent 18% of the total construction workforce, with 40% working in office-based roles.

At the 22 Frederick St. site, project manager Meagan Sitek says she sees companies in the industry hiring people for talent, regardless of gender. She adds that women comprise a large percentage of the Zehr Group team, on-site and in the office.

“It’s just normal for us now. We hire for skill and for fit. That’s just how we work,” she said.

Jessica Allin brings over a decade of experience as the site’s superintendent. She began her career in construction after graduating from the Architectural Technology program at Fanshawe College in London.,

“I wanted to get a feel and understanding of the materials that I was drawing, so I went and worked on a construction site. I fell in love with it from there, watching it go from the plans to the building and working with all the skilled trades,” Allin says.

During her career, the industry has seen many changes, from materials to safety. For Allin, one of the most significant changes isn’t the number of women in the industry but the technology being used to improve quality and safety and reduce project timelines.

“Management systems like Procore have been great. Many trades also use the same technology, which is very helpful on-site. Today, you’ll see a supervisor with an iPad while it used to be them walking around with blueprints,” Allin says. “Changes issued from the consultants to the trades and then brought on site would take weeks. Now it's happening instantly because they're updating the drawing, it's going on Procore, and the trades are getting notifications on their iPad on site.”

At the SYLK Towers site, project manager Olena Nekrasova says the focus should be on the projects themselves, not just celebrating the number of women in leadership positions.

“It’s important to highlight the project vision, and the need being addressed versus who’s running it. There is usually a big team effort behind any project, which women are a part of,” Nekrasova says.

Nekrasova started her career in the industry during a co-op term with Suncor in Fort McMurray, Alberta. Although there weren’t many women in the industry when she started, this didn’t mean she was singled out.

“I know other women in the industry look at this as a huge step forward, but I’ve personally never felt the struggle. When I started, nobody said, ‘I need to prepare you that there are no women there.’ It was just, ‘Okay, are you ready?’ I just went and worked, and that’s it,” she says.

One of Nekrasova’s primary responsibilities as a project manager is de-escalating conflicts and resolving issues. Every project manager approaches conflict resolution differently, but that difference is based on personality, not gender.

“I try to get people to a level where we can have a discussion, but that doesn't always work. There’s always going to be a possibility of conflict. It doesn't matter your gender, that's just people,” Nekrasova says.