In our 30th anniversary year the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) remains committed to supporting women in the sector and tackling the sticky issues head-on to bring about culture change… writes NAWIC CEO Catheryn Greville
We launched our Ending Gender Harassment and Building Safer Workplaces Campaign during National Safe Work Month in October with a flagship panel event in Melbourne and also recently released the findings of a study our NSW Chapter commissioned into parental leave in the construction industry.
Behind the numbers
Figures from the Australian Human Rights Commission show more than 40 per cent of women and 26 per cent of men have experienced workplace sexual harassment in the past five years, with the construction industry ranking among those with the highest rates and lowest levels of formal reporting.
The NSW Government’s annual Women in Construction survey released in October reported that 70 per cent of women have experienced discrimination in the workplace within the last 12 months, and of those workers who may consider leaving the industry, 16 per cent of women cited sexual harassment as a reason.
Creating safe, inclusive construction workplaces stands at the centre of our Organisational Strategy 2025–2028.
We know unsafe and intimidating conduct is never acceptable, and while progress has been made, too many women still face barriers, exclusion, and aggressions.
Progressive dialogue
Our ‘Safety in focus: Building an industry free of sexual harassment and gender-based violence’ panel featured expert speakers:
- Nathan Lee – Branch Manager, Legal & Framework Policy, Safe Work Australia
- Dr Niki Vincent – Victorian Gender Equality Commissioner
- Aimee Cooper – Head of Legal, Victorian Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission
- Dr Samone McCurdy – Executive Manager, Insights & Capability, Workplace Gender Equality Agency
- Tiina Debevc – Executive Director, Operations, Fair Work Ombudsman
Hosted by our Victorian Chapter at a venue provided by Brickworks, with sponsorship from WorkSafe Victoria as part of their Health & Safety Month program of events, the panel offered vital perspectives on legislative reforms, prevention response tools, and the leadership needed to create safer, more equitable construction workplaces.
The video of the event will be available on our website as will a range of resources as part of our campaign to inform and empower everyone in the construction sector to work towards creating safer workplaces.
With funding from the NSW Government’s Women in Construction Industry Innovation Program (IIP) Year 2, NAWIC’s NSW Chapter partnered with the University of Sydney Business School to conduct the parental leave study.
The ‘Boosting retention of women in construction: Supporting women through parental leave’ project explores how to better support women working in frontline construction roles across Australia during pregnancy, parental leave, and their return to work.
Research has previously found that the transitional periods in and out of parental leave are pivotal in a woman’s decision to remain in or return to work.
Crucial connections
This report delves much further into lived experiences of women and offers a pathway to better parental leave support.
Released in August, the research includes a toolkit and offers clear recommendations for government and industry including:
- The introduction of a parental leave levy to support small businesses and sole traders.
- Normalising family-friendly work hours and flex on site.
- Investment in safe and inclusive site facilities and practices for pregnant and women workers.
- Enhanced paid parental leave and support for women and men.
We are also preparing to roll out our innovative Allyship in Action: Transforming Culture to Attract and Retain Women project, which was awarded $5 million in funding from the Federal Government’s flagship Building Women’s Careers (BWC) Program.
The three-year long project will engage men as partners and tackle poor attitudes and behaviours; empower men to sponsor women into leadership; and utilise the power of cultural ambassadors of all genders to embed positive change on the ground.
Each of us can make a difference in our workplace.
Culture change starts with understanding and sharing what is working, what is not and what opportunities we have to explore.
Join us as we work to create a fair, inclusive and respectful industry. Learn more about our campaigns, projects and resources, and how to become a member, at nawic.com.au