KRYSTAL FERNANDES
Construction Manager, Summertown
10 years in the field
For a male dominated industry, and a very low percentage of women working on the ground, I guess it is still getting established that yes, a woman can do this job. Construction was always deemed to be a man’s job but there’s no reason for a woman not to do it, as long as she’s comfortable with the high demands of the role.
What are some of the biggest stressors and challenges faced on the job?
You don’t get taken seriously. There are days when the testosterones just won’t agree with you, even though you know and they know that you are right. Then there’s male dominance. At the site, the majority of the workforce is Asian, and so culture definitely comes into play, where they are just not used to seeing a woman in this role. However, pushing through it is the only way to get what you need done.
Is it culture that prevents women from entering this field? How can we change that?
This is a tricky question. Culture is subjective. I was fortunate enough to be brought up within an open minded family. Although my roots are Indian, I have lived my entire life in Dubai. Growing up, my dad would let me use the hammer. I would fight my brother to be able to use the drill for household tasks. We would paint the walls in our house in colours of our preference – all these small opportunities allowed me to just go for it when on the field. I wasn’t cultured to behave differently. I guess the change required is to allow women to explore the field, and for employers to provide encouragement and an unbiased approach, when employing females for the job. Yes, being on a construction site is sweaty and dirty but so is doing a HIIT workout. It’s about time there is a mental reset. Employers need to make the role available, and there are definitely a lot of women out there who will take up the challenge.
Any personal experience or a memory you would like to share?
A couple of years ago, when I worked in another organisation, being the only female in the project team, (the men were probably not comfortable with that thought and bear in mind they were much older and experienced), I was deliberately given a workforce who had a language barrier with me. They thought of it as a joke. I was very young and new, and still learning my way around. The site team and I could not understand each other, and so communication was a mess. It was a disaster in the making. I have often looked back and wondered, why would they do this? On the flip side, I’ve learned so much from those situations and have come out smarter and wiser.
If you were to share one commitment to the growth and support of diversity and gender equality within the field of construction…
I can offer my experiences and my knowledge. As long as there’s a platform recognising women who are active in the field of construction, it’s only a matter of time before more of us will come forward and commit to lifting one another.
