What an adventurous 12 months in building – what is set to revolutionise the sector as we know it! With the Top 100 Women Platform almost set to launch it is an exciting time for both women & men within the construction sector.
The construction sector is known for its boisterous image of hard men which show no mercy or fear, and it’s costing us! The industry as a whole is growing 2.8% annually and is one of the largest contributing sectors to the nation’s economy, yet the suicide rate is almost double of any other sector and so is the risk!
We have created an image that we believed would be untouchable, but at the core of its being is an industry with no equality, no balance and a tonne of people hurting, trying to withstand it. And truth is, it’s outdated! We have subcontractors hurting, builders struggling, and we are losing the faith of consumers who follow the looming headlines weekly about how they cannot trust the sector. The quest to ‘appear’ fearless in a man’s world had no place any longer, we needed balance and we needed it fast!
The most debilitating experience for anyone is to endure something painful only to be told “that’s just the way it is.” I have no doubt most reading this has felt this more than once, and yet we follow an outdated system like ants wondering why it hasn’t changed already!
So what if it was always up to us to change it?
So what do we know?
“We can have no harmony without balance”
- The percentage of women, has not changed since 1987, with women in total occupying no more than 11% of the entire sector.
- Whilst mining has increased, construction has not and still is regarded as the “world’s biggest boys club”.
- The 2 biggest obstacles to finding and retaining women have been identified as strategic alliances and lack of transparency around the opportunities.
- Whilst women to date have been slow to enter the sector, they are fast to leave, identifying the lack of support.
- Women are also 2.5 times more likely to have their own business in construction, than any other sector. A path which they feel will allow them to freely scale without limitations.
So what are we addressing?
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Harmony
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Equality
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Positive change for all
Understanding the key obstacles, we went to work! Knowing firsthand the challenges faced in establishing and scaling my own company I was able to identify the hurdles. There was no back seat taken in what we thought could be a ‘nice’ idea! We learnt first hand the harsh effects this sector can have on the people within it. And as such, we set out to challenge how things always were by implementing a better path forward for all.
Introducing the HOW to the WHY
The platform we are releasing will soon allow women to connect, collaborate and scale with other women all over the world. Connecting the use of 3 current systems and compiling into one, we have devised a streamlined system and ease of access for women in the construction & mining sectors to be able to grow, communicate and clearly identify the pathways forward within the industry.
It completely lifts the lid off any grey matter surrounding the opportunities, the community and the capacity to grow within the sector.
“Can’t find a woman in construction? Well now you can.”
“Not another woman’s group”
Relax! We aren’t promoting women vs men. A lot of our supporters, both corporates and individuals, are the men within the industry who recognise the need for balance and harmony within the sector. We aren’t here to hate men, take over men or entertain an egotistical ‘we win, you lose’ scenario.But recognising habitually, we learn differently, we grow differently. Applying a one size fits all does not work for clothes, so why should it work in the form of our capacity to grow and be the very best we can?
We know men are competitive, their natural instincts often thrive in an environment where they can outrun their competitors and take home the prize. Whilst women can be competitive also, we learn differently, we grow differently. And in an environment as a minority, typically your only way to survive is to adapt and become chameleons. And lets face it, being anything that you are not naturally is only ever short lived!
We have spent over 12 months identifying HOW we can change this, as the why was already pretty clear.
We would like to think most companies recognise the ‘why’ also, however to date the HOW has never been there…UNTIL NOW.
Very soon you will be able to become a Member of the Top 100 Women both as a corporate and as an individual. We will even be offering a stamp of approval for organisations who have began approaching us about ensuring all of their female staff are Members of the Top 100 Women.
We will be working with existing women’s groups in offering their members the support of such a comprehensive platform as we have fully recognised most NFPs are extremely limited in both time and resources.
It’s important for everyone that the sector adapts to a more positive environment for everyone! The long term benefits of balance are long proven in the effect of harmony this has across the environments we work in. Upon this being released we are holding the sector accountable, as we have identified and eliminated any objections to date in finding and retaining women within the industry.
Can’t find a woman? Now you can
Would like to help but don’t know how? Now you do
Tired of seeing the endless suffering of all within the sector? Well now you too can do something about it
Is it affordable? YES
From behalf of the Top 100 Women Team, what began by featuring just 100 Women, we are excited to share this with your all.
