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Wisconsin Remains Behind the National Average for Female Hires in ConstructionShare this on Facebook

Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, analyst Construction Coverage ranked cities with the highest and lowest share of women in the construction workforce.

Wisconsin did not fare well among the 55 large cities nationally ranked with women making up 7.8 percent of Milwaukee’s construction workforce—far below the national average of 13 percent. Conversely, Madison scored much better with 13.8 percent of their construction workforce being women.

According to a story in The Daily Reporter:

The report shows female representation in the traditionally male-dominated construction industry has changed little from the 1990s. And along with the gender gap in employment, a previous report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum found women in construction earn less than men do on-average as well.

The Construction Coverage report found, nationally, women working in the construction industry are more likely to occupy office positions and are more likely to earn more than women working in other fields. The median wage for women in the construction industry was $46,808 yearly, compared with $43,394 across women working across all industries.

The group also cites a Deloitte industry outlook report that shows the COVID-19 pandemic may accelerate the need for efficient project management — which could increase demand for the types of administrative and management positions women have been more likely to fill.

You can read the whole story here.