{"id":61794,"date":"2022-02-24T04:31:42","date_gmt":"2022-02-24T09:31:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=61794"},"modified":"2022-02-24T04:31:42","modified_gmt":"2022-02-24T09:31:42","slug":"i-would-not-be-respected-senior-school-girls-told-us-why-they-werent-interested-in-a-construction-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/i-would-not-be-respected-senior-school-girls-told-us-why-they-werent-interested-in-a-construction-career\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I would not be respected\u2019: senior school girls told us why they weren\u2019t interested in a construction career"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Construction is one of\u00a0Australia\u2019s fastest growing<\/a>\u00a0industries. It employs around 1,143,600 people, which\u00a0accounts for 8.7% of the total<\/a>\u00a0workforce. Over the past five years, employment in the industry has increased 7.3%.<\/p>\n

The median weekly earnings for those working in construction are around A$1,305 per week. This is\u00a0higher than the median weekly earnings<\/a>\u00a0of $1,209.00 across all industries.<\/p>\n

But construction is also the\u00a0most male dominated industry in Australia<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 87% of workers are male. And the high earnings in the industry are partly responsible for Australia\u2019s gender pay gap. Figures\u00a0from August 2021 show<\/a>\u00a0the high earnings growth in the construction industry pushed the gender pay gap for full-time workers out to $261 a week.<\/p>\n

But significant\u00a0research<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0investment<\/a>\u00a0directed at correcting the under-representation of women in construction have so far failed to make an impact.<\/p>\n

We\u00a0interviewed 15 young women<\/a>\u00a0in years 11 and 12 about their perceptions of the sector. Most didn\u2019t know about the industry\u2019s high earnings and said they couldn\u2019t picture themselves in the job, as they didn\u2019t see many women there.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s not many successful women in construction\u2019<\/strong><\/h4>\n

We randomly recruited female high school students to have a broader discussion about their career choices. We did not have any prerequisites about academic performance level, interests, tertiary\/TAFE education or career goals.<\/p>\n

Two study participants had parents in the construction sector. But the others had very little knowledge of the potential career options in construction, which are broad and varied, or the fact it was Australia\u2019s third largest employer and a growth sector.<\/p>\n

Construction roles include different trades \u2013 such as plumbers, carpenters, electricians and mechanics \u2013 project managers, engineers, communication and community engagement specialists, land surveyors, health and safety experts, crane operators and commercial managers to name a few. Pathways to these roles can be via university degrees, apprenticeships, internships and TAFE training.<\/p>\n

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32 years! Surely I\u2019m not old enough! https:\/\/t.co\/UdsivdoV0Q<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Josephine Sukkar (@JosephineSukkar) February 1, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n