Get Ready to Celebrate Women in Home Building Sept. 13-17

The NAHB Professional Women in Building (PWB) Council celebrates women in all facets of residential construction year-round. A special PWB Week, Sept. 13-17, 2021, is also dedicated to not only highlighting the achievements of the diverse, talented women in our industry, but to encouraging the next generation of women by raising awareness of the multitude of opportunities available in the field.

The NAHB PWB Council and its members are working to attract and support more women in the building industry with workforce development tools, resources and professional development strategies that can also help combat the ongoing industry-wide labor shortage.

On Tuesday, Sept. 14, an online webinar, Breaking Down Barriers: Conversations on Leadership & Inclusivity in Construction, will share stories from three professional women in building that aim to inspire and motivate through anecdotes, techniques and strategies to support a growing industry that’s inclusive and open-minded.

On Thursday, Sept. 16, the NAHB Shop Talk, Success in the Trades and Overcoming Industry Stereotypes, will be an informal, peer-to-peer discussion about overcoming gender stereotypes and debunking myths about women in home building.

Stories of successful women in the industry and local PWB Council successes will be highlighted in blog posts throughout the week on NAHBNow.com.

Workforce development efforts are important for the overall industry and can highlight the good-paying jobs available for women in residential construction. Women in the United States earn an average of 81% of what men make, but the gender pay gap in construction occupations is significantly smaller, with women earning on average nearly equal to what men do.

Still, while the numbers are edging up in recent years, only about 10% of the residential construction workforce is made up of women, with just 3% in skilled trades such as plumbing or carpentry. A recently completed project in Utah, The House That SHE Built, bucked those statistics with all-female professionals, tradeswomen and women-owned businesses designing and constructing the entire home. The project inspired a children’s book that will be released from NAHB's BuilderBooks during PWB Week 2021.

A PWB Week toolkit is available at nahb.org/pwbweek and provides ideas for celebrating the week, more data about women in the industry and a host of free downloadable marketing materials. Follow along on social media and share your stories with #PWBWeek and #PWBProud.

NAHB PWB Week is sponsored by Lowe's For Pros.