Women working in the construction industry are giving some insight into some of the barriers they have faced while trying to further their careers.
Yesterday, the Newfoundland and Labrador Construction Association held the first-ever Women in Construction forum, which took place during their annual conference.
One of the themes brought up during a panel discussion featuring women in the industry was the idea of “unconscious bias” or biases that people may have towards women in the industry of which they are not aware.
Gertrude Bradbury, President of Locke’s Electrical, gives an example of how she has experienced unconscious bias in the workplace during labour contract negotiations with a general contractor.
She says they were negotiating the price and the contractor didn’t like what was on the table. After a back-and-forth, the man suggested that Bradbury speak to her father, the former owner of the business, about her price and see if it can be reduced. Bradbury says she responded with “maybe you should speak to your mother and ask for some more money.”