The women at this Northampton company are inspiring young women to pursue careers in the trades

The construction industry has traditionally been male-dominated, as women have been largely underrepresented in the field.

Some of the factors that contribute to this gender imbalance include historical gender stereotypes that have discouraged women from pursuing careers in construction and the overall perception that it is a male-dominated industry. Although the construction industry has been slow to address gender diversity and promote inclusion, in more recent years, major efforts are being made to tackle the issue and create solutions.

A number of schools and organizations are actively recruiting and promoting women and other underrepresented groups in the field. There are programs and initiatives in place aimed at providing training, support and mentorship for women who are interested in the industry. One of them being, D.A. Sullivan and Sons. Recently, the University of Massachusetts Amherst showed their appreciation to Northampton contractors D.A. Sullivan and Sons for their work in successfully encouraging more women to enter the industry.

As published in an article on MassLive; “Women represent about 10% of workers in the construction industry, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But women make up an even smaller share of people doing the labor on a construction project — as opposed to management, architecture and other roles. About 3% of people working directly on construction projects are women” said Lisa Clauson, from North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters.

That being said, women made up about 15% of the work hours at a recent Sullivan renovation project and 13% at another major project, which happened to mark the highest rate of a completed project in state history, according to Barbara Kroncke, executive director of the UMass Building Authority.

Among the staff working at D.A. Sullivan, everyone seems to be very content in their roles. Some of the women in the team, such as Carolyn Diaz Rodriguez and Mara Castillo have been told they are inspiring younger women in school to pursue careers in the trades.

According to Ariadnna Ramos, one of the women in the carpentry program at Dean Technical Campus; “You go into this trade that's man-dominated, and you don't really know exactly what to expect or how the treatment is going to be, but you have someone else who went through the same things you’re going through currently... they’re really an inspiration”.