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"Through events like WIC Lobby Day, SRBX is working with policymakers to increase their efforts to ensure that women have equal opportunities in construction."
- Mary Teichert, President | Teichert, Inc.
- Mary Teichert, President | Teichert, Inc.
SRBX Women in Construction (WIC) is a council that was established within the SRBX Government Affairs Committee.
The SRBX WIC council is motivated to educate, connect, develop, inspire, and advance women in the construction industry as they build meaningful careers.
Our SRBX WIC council is growing, and we highly encourage energetic SRBX members to join and become even more involved in our regional construction industry.
Like many industries struggling to close the skilled labor gap, the construction industry has been especially hit hard by the last economic downturn when tens of thousands of construction workers left the state or industry. Today, for every 10 construction workers who are preparing for retirement, there is only one in the pipeline to replace them. The SRBX WIC Council supports policies that recognize women as an untapped resource to help close this skilled labor gap so that California can keep pace with infrastructural needs. |
MISSION SRBX continues to celebrate women as a visible component of the construction industry and seeks to encourage California lawmakers at all levels of government to adopt policies that will successfully increase women in apprenticeship programs. PURPOSE & GOALS In 2021, construction accounted for over 4.1 percent of the US gross domestic product*. That ranks ahead of agriculture, mining, transportation, arts and entertainment, and even national defense spending! Despite more than 90 percent of US general contractors listing labor shortages as a concern**, women make up only 10.3 percent*** of those working in the built environment – and that number shrinks to just 2-4 percent when looking at several of the skilled trades. With unprecedented labor shortages, the time is now for us to determine what changes we must make to ensure that we are an equitable and inclusive industry. * US Bureau of Economic Analysis, ** US Chamber, *** US Bureau of Labor Statistics
"The Women in Construction conference has opened doors connecting me with women regionally while supporting professional growth. I am grateful SRBX has taken the extra step in developing the careers and connections of women." Marsha Perry Taras, Vice President, Roebbelen Contracting, Inc. |
The SRBX WIC Council sponsored SCR 16 (2021), which helps to better position California to increase women’s participation in high-wage, high-skill nontraditional fields, such as construction.
The SRBX WIC Council has successfully lobbied state and regional municipalities to recognize Women in Construction and embrace our goals of advancing women in construction.
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