Photo by Antonio Ray Harvey
By Antonio Ray Harvey
Contributing Writer
SACRAMENTO — The state Legislature paid tribute to women in construction during Women in Construction Week March 2-8.
State Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, D-Los Angeles, introduced Senate Concurrent Resolution 30 in the State Legislature March 6, highlight the contributions made by women to the building industry.
It passed 34-0 on the Senate floor.
“Women play an important role in building our communities, yet they remain vastly underrepresented in the construction industry,” Smallwood-Cuevas said. “This resolution not only recognizes their incredible contributions but also the need to break barriers — like gender discrimination that continues to block women from pursuing construction careers.”
The weeklong event coincides with the National Association of Women In Construction celebration that started in 1998 and has grown and expanded every year since.
The National Association of Women In Construction was started in 1953 by a group of women to help create a support network for other women in the industry. Women In Construction Week raises awareness about the role women play in the male-dominated profession.
That same week in front of the State Capitol, Smallwood-Cuevas, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, Assemblyman Josh Hoover, R-Folsom, and Assemblywoman Maggie Krell, D-Sacramento, attended a brunch organized by a local chapter of the National Association of Women In Construction.
Two of the guest speakers were Giovanna Brasfield, CEO of Los Angeles-based Brasfield and Associates; and Jennifer Todd, who serves as president and founder of LMS General Contractors.
Todd is the youngest Black woman to receive a California’s Contractors State License Board general engineering license. An advocate for women of different backgrounds, Todd said she has been in construction for the last 16 years despite going through some trying times.
A graduate of Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Todd created an apprenticeship training program, A Greener Tomorrow in 2009, designed for the advancement of unemployed and underemployed people of color.
“I always say, ‘I love an industry that doesn’t love me back,’” Todd said. “Being young, female and minority, I am often in spaces where people don’t look like me, they don’t reflect my values, they don’t reflect my experiences, and I so persevere in spite of it all.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 11.2% of construction workers across the country are female. Overall, 87.3% of the female construction workers are white, 35.1% are Latinas, 2.1% are Asians, and 6.5% are Black women, the report reveals.
The National Association of Home Builders reported that as of 2022, the states with the largest number of women working in construction were Texas (137,000), California (135,000) and Florida (119,000). The three states alone represent 30% of all women employed in the industry.
State Sen. Susan Rubio, D-Baldwin Park, and the California Legislative Women’s Caucus supported Smallwood-Cuevas’ SCR 30 and requested that more energy be poured into bringing awareness to the severe gender gap in the construction field.
“We often talk about the importance of a workforce and workforce development, especially in support of good paying jobs here in the state of California,” Rubio said. “The construction trade is a proven path to a solid career. and we have an ongoing shortage and this is a time for us to do better breaking down the barriers to help the people get into this sector.”
Last week, the Los Angeles Black Workers Center reported that the Black community represents 9% of Los Angeles County’s population and 10% of all new construction apprentices. In 2009, the center started as a project at the UCLA Labor Center.
The center’s mission is to expand access to quality jobs, reduce employment discrimination and enhance companies that employ Black workers through action and unionization.
Black Californians make up only 4.9% of the construction workforce and Black representation on publicly funded projects in the county is much lower, hovering around 3%, according to the Black Workers Center.
“Adopting equity provisions in project labor agreements and community benefit agreements are crucial to closing these gaps,” Smallwood-Cuevas said. “Let’s continue to support policies that uplift the next generation of women in the trades.”
“When it comes to women in construction we’ve have made incredible strides,” said Kounalakis, whose family owns a high-profile construction and development business. “We see more and more women breaking barriers.
“I believe there is something fundamental in (women’s) psyche … that makes you feel differently when you’re involved in building something tangible.”
Antonio Ray Harvey is a reporter for California Black Media.
