March 8 was International Women’s Day so this month we’re taking the time to talk about women in the building industry, in particularly within Nyblad Construction. With everything that is going on in the media regarding sexual allegations of our politicians, this year’s IWD Choose to Challenge theme seems fitting. But what does it mean for the building industry? Well, we’re probably not qualified to speak to the industry as a whole so let’s focus on Nyblad Construction and our experiences.

Poor (or lucky?!) Kenth did not have any sons. Instead, he and Susanne were blessed with two beautiful, well behaved and practically-perfect-in-every-way daughters (I promise, no writer bias here what-so-ever). So when it comes to helping out the family business, he’s stuck with three women (2 daughters, 1 wife in case you can’t keep up) who have chosen careers that do not require manual labour (other than carrying boxes of wine up the stairs).

And while we’re not on the tools, we do all work to our strengths within the company. Linn has surprised many clients with her extensive knowledge of the intricacies of each job. Having worked in the industry for more than 10 years and with not only a business degree behind her, but also a Diploma in Project Management and Certificate IV in Building and Construction, her ability to quote and talk clients through the jobs shouldn’t really come as a surprise.

Meanwhile, Sanna has over 7 years of marketing experience with roles such Communication Advisor at Master Builders Association of Victoria and Account Executive at a boutique marketing firm in Melbourne, which is why she’s been in charge of marketing our services to the Sunshine Coast for the past two years.

Susanne has been looking after the accounts for Kenth for the past 20 years – part of that time whilst juggling her time between the business and her responsibilities as a Medical Receptionist at a busy Sunshine Coast medical practice. With the growth of the business, Susanne left her Medical Receptionist role to focus on the financial aspects of the business.

And as the company has grown from when Kenth ran it mostly on his own, his network of subcontractors has had to get used to liaise with us women (and following proper procedures!) as well as with Kenth. In most cases this has worked very well and we’ve not had any issues. In a few rare cases, we’ve had to redirect our work orders to other contractors because of a refusal of some individuals to liaise with the office staff. In many instances this would probably have been ignored but thankfully Kenth heard our frustrations and has supported us whenever there’s been an issue.

The reality of the building industry is that with the increasing amount of paperwork needed for jobs to comply with QBCC guidelines, health and safety protocols, and to ensure jobs run as smoothly as possibly, more women are entering the building and construction industry, although more so in administration roles rather than on the tools (although female tradies are also becoming more and more common).  And we’re seeing organisations such as Master Builders Queensland promote women in building more and more by holding events and awards specifically for women.

One of those events was the Master Builders Qld Influencer’s lunch which Sanna attended in February where industry influencers discussed a range of building and construction industry business topics including the importance of digital marketing and social media. And earlier that month Susanne and Sanna also attended the Master Builders Sunshine Coast Influencers event where the experiences of being a female builder in a male-dominated industry were discussed.

All in all, things may be changing for women across industries but there is still a lot of work to be done – just like across most industries if the latest news are anything to go by! We look forward to continuing to work in this space to make the building and construction industry a more women-friendly industry.