South Dakota Ranks Among Lowest States for Women in Construction

Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Construction has long been a male-dominated field. According to recently released data from the U.S. Census Bureau, only 11.7% of payroll employees in the construction industry are women. However, a shift is underway. In recent years, the Department of Labor’s Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) grant program has allocated millions of dollars to bolster women’s participation in industries like construction. And with the construction industry facing a massive worker shortage—estimated at 349,000 workers—recruiting women into construction roles has become a necessity for sustaining growth and meeting demand.Female Construction Employment Over TimeThe share of women in construction has increased steadily over the past several yearsSource: Construction Coverage analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data | Image Credit: Construction CoverageThe share of women in construction has steadily increased over the past several years. While women remain underrepresented in the workforce, the data reveals a gradual yet consistent upward trend in female employment within the construction sector.Prior to 2016, women comprised approximately 9% of the construction workforce. This figure held relatively steady for over a decade, fluctuating slightly between 8.9% and 9.5% from 2003 to 2015. However, since 2016, the share of female employees in construction has climbe...