DETROIT – March 3-9 is National Women in Construction Week. Recent data from the National Association of Women in Construction shows women make up less than 10% of the construction industry in the U.S.
There are women in southeast Michigan who are working in this field and ready to help other women do the same.
In Detroit, there are women knocking down stereotypes in the construction field, one demolition at a time.
“You might come across a few men who might say, ‘Hey, you should be at home with the kids cooking and cleaning,’ but hey, I want to make money too; I have to pay bills and take care of my kids, “said Lauren Davis, a heavy equipment operator.
It may seem unconventional to some, but Davis considers it a dream come true. She grew up watching her father work in the same business.
“It was just something embedded in me as a little girl, and I just said I’m going to be in that machine one day,” Davis said.
Now, here she is, not just operating an excavator but the first woman to do it for the company she works for, Gayanga Co.
“We have about 40 employees, and I would say we have about 10 women, half in the office and half in the field,” said Gayanga Co. Vice President LaCresha Turner.
The company is one of many that are contracted for the demolitions in the city of Detroit, and one of the people to coordinate is also a woman, Linda Montgomery, field operations manager with the Detroit Construction and Demolition Department.
“I think it’s important for women to be able to work anywhere they want to work and thank companies that open opportunities for women to do that work,” said Montgomery. “I thank the city of Detroit for being open to that; our director is a woman.”
They hope to encourage more women to get into hard hats and work boots.
“When I was in school, I went to DPS,” said Turner. I was inspired by a young Black engineer who kind of led me down my path, so I’d love to do that for others. I’m a proponent of skilled trades, and so if you don’t want to go to college, there’s another path that provides a great living wage and phenomenal benefits.”