Incentives to women in construction will boost their participation, says regulator

A woman takes data at a construction site. [File, Standard] Only three per cent of the construction artisans are women. This is despite the gender inclusion advocacies. National Construction Authority Executive Director Maurice Aketch said gender stereotypes and biases discourage women from pursuing careers in construction. He noted that fewer women are pursuing tertiary education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Speaking at a construction forum recently, Mr Aketch said unconducive working environments such as a lack of dedicated toilets and wash areas, unflexible hours, and mother's rooms that do not accommodate women's unique caregiving responsibilities and needs - both in offices and construction sites - have contributed to the low numbers of women in the construction sites. "Unfair practices in the industry such as unequal wages for women and men undertaking the same jobs, is also a reason why women are very few in the industry," Mr Aketch said. The NCA boss noted that unfair competition due to the lack of recognition of women-led companies and the lack of aggregated data and information about the presence and the work being done by women in the construction sector has held women back. "This greatly downplays the small gains being achieved progressively. Sexual harassment and discrimination towards women is also a factor hindering women's participation in the sector," he said. Mr Aketch said sexual harassment can be addressed by enhancing the enforcement of the policies. He said enforcement of the twp-thirds gender rule on construction, increasing sensitisation of the male workforce on gender mainstreaming and creating a gender-friendly reporting structure, where women can safely report and escalate issues on sexual harassment can help firmly address harassment in the workplace," Aketch proposed. While inaugurating the Women in Construction Forum early this year, Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the government has adopted a gender mainstreaming policy to ensure gender-based discrimination and gender-specific workplace needs are firmly addressed. "The ministry has a responsibility to make the working environment for women conducive," he said. "Women must have fair competing grounds, to achieve this, we have to deal with the barriers. Sexual harassment is a barrier; we must make the environment friendly for women to report cases of sexual harassment," Murkomen said. The CS called on construction companies to provide mothers' rooms and fully equip private spaces for lactating mothers to make the working conditions of women in construction better. He, however, noted that "women-owned construction companies are gaining momentum as the gender stereotypes and biases that discourage women from pursuing careers in construction are slowly fading as a result of the efforts made". Mr Aketch noted that by promoting equity in employment, ensuring equal wage rates, introducing and enforcement of policies to firmly address sexual harassment, and giving financial incentives such as advance payments for AGPO and tax incentives, the work environment can be adjusted to be more conducive for women. Presidential Advisor on Women's Rights Harriette Chiggai said women deserve equal access to the means and opportunities to actualise their aspirations in the construction industry. She noted that increasing the number of women in the construction industry will boost the economy. To attract more women to the industry, NCA boss Mr Aketch noted that the gains made by women in the industry should be amplified where they can be visible and their aggregated databases easily accessible. It was agreed that providing apprenticeship or mentorship opportunities for women in the construction industry would attract more female players to the sector.

Incentives to women in construction will boost their participation, says regulator

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