Find Out Why a Woman Might Be the Right “Man” for That Burned House Repair Job …

Whether you decide to rebuild your property or sell your fire-damaged house, you are going to need to hire a contractor to come in and make needed repairs after suffering a significant house fire.

Now, more than ever before, there is a good chance the contractors you consider hiring will include women.

In fact, because of strong labor and demographic trends the construction job market is putting women in high demand.

For the past 10 years, headlines in the construction press have been reporting on the skills shortage facing the industry now and in the years to come.

It is estimated that at least 250,000 new recruits will be required to meet demand in the construction industry in the near future.

“The labor shortage in the next few years is going to force change,” Kara Roberson, marketing communications director for the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) recently told Monster.com. “Women are going to be needed to fill that void.”

Despite affirmative action efforts to recruit women into construction currently only about 2.5 percent of the country’s estimated 6.3 million construction workers are women, according to the U.S. Dept. of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.

This low percentage comes at a time when the construction industry is facing large scale retirement of its aging workforce. The industry is also facing additional manpower demands from the rebuilding efforts and housing boom that are ongoing around the country.

“Women could be the greatest untapped resource for filling that gap,” said Beth Youhn, director of Oakland-based Tradeswomen Inc., in a recent article from Haverstick Consulting.

Why haven’t more women pursued jobs in construction before now?

According to a survey of over 3,000 construction companies, women have been mainly deterred from working in the construction industry. Reasons for this include its long hours, its male-dominated environment and its perceived unfriendly culture.

But that is beginning to change as more women realize the benefits of working in construction jobs.

One reason women like construction is the opportunity to run a family business. Another reason is the chance to take on the challenge of working on a project from concept to completion.

Others enjoy working with their hands outdoors where they can enjoy the sunshine and fresh air.

Whatever the reason, more career-seeking women are definitely entering the world of construction and taking advantage of opportunities that didn’t exist until recently.

That means you would be wise to consider any female contractor applicants you have to repair your burned house on equal footing with the males.

Women in construction growing fast

For example, Jon Rose owner of Journeyman Line, a leading provider of high-quality toolbelts, says already that 60 percent of his customers are women.

“Today, the construction industry is more open to women than ever before,” Rose said. “Thanks to a number of degree programs, continuing-education courses, certifications, scholarships and apprenticeships, women who have a dream to be in construction, can now really do something about it.”

That’s why if you are the owner of a burned house, you may want to a female contractor.

The number of female construction workers has nearly doubled in the last 15 years

You can expect that percentage to surge much higher in the coming years. Here’s some other statistics to consider:

• Women now bring in half or more of the income in most households.
• Females head 40 percent of all U.S. households with an income of over $600,000
• Women own roughly 66 percent of all home-based businesses
• Today there are more than 9 million women in business for themselves, contributing more than $3.6 trillion to the U.S. economy.
• Women-owned businesses represent almost 40 percent of all U.S. businesses, employing 27.5 million people — more than all the Fortune 500 companies combined.
• In 1950 women comprised 29 percent of the U.S. work force. Today that figure is almost half.
• In the 1950s 20 percent of women with children under age 18 worked; today that figure is 72 percent.
• In 1983, women held 34 percent of executive, administrative and managerial positions; today that figure is 46 percent.

But despite all the success, women still have a long way to go, for example:

• Seventy-one percent of corporations on the Fortune 500 list have no female directors.
• On average, women make 78 percent of men’s wages, according to a study by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Female contractors gaining ground on male contractors

In spite of all the gains that women have made in the workplace over the years, there remain certain industries, such as construction, where they are still struggling with men for equal footing.

The repairs of your burned house could be an excellent opportunity to help women close the gap that still exists between men and women in the construction industry.

“The construction industry needs women, lots of women and thankfully, as sales of my toolbelts indicate, more and more women are discovering that the construction industry is a great way for them to make a living,” Rose said. “And you can’t ignore the fact that in an industry that is so dominated by males being a woman could actually be a real marketing advantage.”

“This truth is by discounting construction as a viable career, too many women are missing out on high earnings potential, a paid technical education and opportunities to head their own businesses,” Rose added. “I’m glad more women are giving it a try – it’s a great career choice. It gives them great freedom and flexibility and allows them to direct their own work.”

Don’t want to repair your burned house?

We Buy Fire Damaged Houses buys burned homes. We pay all cash and we buy burned houses in “as is” condition. That means you don’t have to worry about going through any frustrating, life-disrupting repair process as you can always choose to sell your fire-damaged house anytime.

To find out if your home qualifies for a free, no obligation quote, fill out the short form below.