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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Construction employers can improve women’s chances of staying by making jobsites safer and more respectful, fixing facilities and equipment that do not meet workers’ needs, making schedules more workable where the job allows, and giving women clear access to mentoring and advancement. These are connected workplace responsibilities—not a single training session or a standalone program. Government guidance, surveys and industry research identify the barriers and practical responses, but do not establish that any one intervention produces a particular retention gain.
What makes women leave construction jobs?
Retention is shaped by conditions workers encounter day to day: whether harassment is prevented and addressed, whether basic site facilities and work gear are suitable, whether schedules can accommodate life outside work, and whether workers can see a path to develop and advance. Responsibility may be divided among employers, contractors and site managers, but workers experience the combined result.
Survey findings help show why these issues merit attention, but they describe different places and populations and should not be treated as directly comparable:
- In Building Commission NSW research published in 2024, 71% of women employed in small and medium businesses reported experiencing gender discrimination. In a separate finding across company sizes and locations, 53% of women reported experiencing sexual harassment at work.
- In that same Building Commission NSW research, 49% of workers of all genders said they avoided using toilet facilities on site.
- A 2024 NSW Government survey found that 62% identified lack of work-life balance and 51% identified lack of flexible working hours as challenges; 47% cited insufficient mentoring and leadership training. The survey also found that 40% of workers of all genders had considered leaving jobs because of difficulty balancing work and personal responsibilities. That is not a women-only construction-wide turnover rate.
These figures describe reported experiences and concerns, not proof that a particular workplace change caused people to stay or leave. Use them as context, then find out what is happening in your own workforce.
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Make harassment prevention part of how the jobsite operates
Harassment is a retention and workplace-safety concern, not just an interpersonal dispute. In its 2024 construction guidance, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) identified risk factors that can include predominantly male workforces, traditional stereotypes, decentralized worksites, multiple employers on a project and project-based work cycles. The EEOC guidance is U.S.-specific; employers elsewhere should follow the applicable local requirements.
Set a clear standard and make reporting workable
- State what conduct is prohibited, how workers can raise a concern and who is responsible for receiving it.
- Explain how a report will be assessed and handled, including how workers can get an update and how retaliation is prohibited.
- Make reporting routes accessible to workers across shifts, crews, contractors and subcontractors. A route that exists only through one on-site supervisor may not be accessible to someone whose concern involves that supervisor.
- Coordinate expectations and response responsibilities across the companies working on a project. Workers should not have to guess which employer or site representative will act.
Hold leaders accountable for follow-through
Managers and supervisors set the day-to-day standard through what they notice, address and tolerate. Assign responsibility for responding to reports and checking that agreed actions are completed. Training can support that work, but a one-time session cannot substitute for accessible reporting, consistent responses and leadership accountability.
Plan facilities, clothing and protective equipment for the people doing the work
Toilets, changing areas, work clothing and personal protective equipment (PPE) are basic working conditions, not extras. Victorian Government strategy materials and construction research in NSW and Ontario identify inadequate facilities and inappropriate clothing or equipment as barriers for women in the industry. The NSW finding that nearly half of surveyed workers of all genders avoided site toilets also points to a broader site-planning problem.
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Include access and fit in site planning
- Check that toilet and changing facilities are available, accessible and maintained for the workforce using the site.
- Provide work clothing and PPE in suitable sizes and fits, and make the ordering and replacement process practical for workers.
- Ask workers whether facilities or equipment are difficult to access or use, and give them a way to report problems without relying on informal complaints.
- Assign an owner for correcting site-level issues, including when facilities or equipment are controlled by a principal contractor or another company.
Procurement should match the hazards and applicable requirements of the job. A worker buying something individually does not establish that it is appropriate for the task or compliant with relevant standards; employers should verify suitability through their normal safety and purchasing processes.
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Make schedules more compatible with caring responsibilities where the work allows
Not every construction role can be remote or offer the same flexibility. But where the work and project phase permit, employers can make time demands more predictable and discuss practical arrangements before a conflict becomes a reason to leave. The Victorian Government’s strategy recommends flexible arrangements, job-sharing, childcare provision and workplace changes that accommodate caring responsibilities.
Match the arrangement to the role and project
- Give as much advance notice as practical about rosters, shift changes, overtime and expected work locations.
- Consider predictable rosters, adjusted start or finish times, job-sharing or other flexible arrangements where coverage and safety requirements allow.
- When childcare support is feasible, make clear who can access it and how workers can ask about it.
- For roles or phases with limited flexibility, explain the constraints and discuss what can still be adjusted rather than promising an option the job cannot support.
These choices should be made in context: what works in one role or project phase may not work in another. The NSW survey findings identify work-life balance and flexible hours as reported concerns; they do not establish that a particular scheduling model will suit every worker or site.
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Build mentoring and advancement into normal workforce development
Mentoring, peer networks, visible role models and leadership development recur in industry and government recommendations. They are supports to provide and assess—not interventions with a guaranteed retention effect.
Make support accessible and tied to real opportunities
- Offer structured mentoring with agreed goals, regular contact and time allocated for both the mentor and participant.
- Create peer networks that workers can access across crews, employers or project sites, rather than limiting participation to a single location or shift.
- Make training requirements, promotion criteria and routes into leadership visible, and explain how workers can pursue them.
- Check whether women can access the training, acting roles and advancement opportunities available to other workers.
NCCER’s 2023 Women in Construction research program reported interviews with 176 tradeswomen and survey responses from 770 women in construction. Those numbers describe its research sample, not the proportion of women in the wider workforce. NCCER’s 2025 Building Better materials frame inclusive career development and retention as research priorities; the available description does not establish a particular retention effect for any one program.
Choose changes by the barrier they address
There is no evidence here for a universal ranking of retention interventions by cost or effect. A practical comparison should consider who owns the work, who it reaches and how the employer will know whether conditions changed.
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| Workplace change | Barrier addressed | Implementation questions | What to monitor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harassment standards, reporting and response | Harassment, discrimination and fear of retaliation | Who receives reports across employers and sites? How are response and follow-up responsibilities assigned? | Worker awareness of reporting routes, response times, follow-through and worker feedback |
| Facilities, work clothing and PPE | Inadequate facilities or unsuitable equipment and clothing | Who controls site facilities and procurement? Can workers get suitable items and report access or fit problems? | Facility and equipment issues, time to resolve them and feedback from affected workers |
| Schedule changes where feasible | Work-life conflicts and unpredictable hours | Which roles or project phases allow adjustments? How much notice can be given? | Schedule changes, notice provided, worker feedback and access to available arrangements |
| Mentoring and development pathways | Limited access to mentoring, leadership development or progression | Is participation available across shifts and employers? Are training and promotion criteria clear? | Participation in mentoring and training, access to advancement opportunities and retention by role and tenure |
When comparing options, also account for practical cost and schedule impact, safety, privacy and accessibility. The sources reviewed do not provide comparable intervention cost or effect-size estimates, so a claimed numerical ranking would not be justified.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Measure local progress without mistaking activity for retention
Count outcomes and conditions, not just initiatives launched. A mentoring program can have participants without improving access to advancement; a reporting policy can exist without workers knowing how to use it. Set a baseline and document how each measure is defined before comparing results over time.
Build a privacy-conscious dashboard
- Track retention by role and tenure, and review whether patterns differ across groups where privacy and sample size permit.
- Monitor access to training and promotion, as well as participation in mentoring or leadership development.
- Record site-condition issues involving facilities, clothing and equipment, along with how quickly they are resolved.
- Review schedule predictability and worker feedback on whether arrangements are workable.
- For harassment reporting, monitor awareness of routes, response times and completion of follow-up while protecting confidentiality.
Do not publish or rely on small-group breakdowns that could identify individuals. The sources summarized here provide neither a single validated scorecard nor a universal target for improvement; report your own measures, definitions and review period rather than presenting a local result as a sector benchmark.
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Interpret construction retention evidence in context
The evidence spans U.S., NSW, Victorian, Ontario and Australian sources, and includes surveys, strategy documents, regulator guidance and industry research. Their populations and methods differ, so percentages should not be combined or compared as if they came from one study. For example, the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario reported in 2025 that 82% of surveyed Ontario tradeswomen saw themselves in the industry two to five years later. That finding describes those survey respondents, not all women in construction.
These materials are useful for identifying reported barriers and recommended practices, but they do not show that a particular measure caused a change in retention. Employers should use local worker feedback and outcomes to judge whether their own changes are helping, and apply the employment, safety and anti-discrimination requirements of their jurisdiction.
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