Women in Construction and the Skilled Trades (2026)
The skilled trades — electricians, plumbers, carpenters, welders, operators — are 89% male. They're also some of the best-paid non-degree jobs in the US, with strong union protection and clear advancement paths. This page tracks where women are in the trades and where the structural barriers sit.
By specialty
| Specialty | Women (%) |
|---|---|
| Electricians | 3.4% |
| Plumbers / Pipefitters | 2.9% |
| Carpenters | 3.1% |
| Welders / Cutters | 5.1% |
| HVAC Technicians | 2.1% |
| Heavy Equipment Operators | 5.6% |
| Construction Managers | 10.9% |
| Roofers | 1.8% |
| Painters (Construction) | 7.5% |
| Commercial Truck Drivers | 8.1% |
Pay gap detail
Union trades have some of the smallest raw pay gaps in any industry (collective bargaining sets lockstep wage scales). The gap opens in non-union shops and in mixed self-employment/contracting where rates are negotiated individually.
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Union electricians on collectively-bargained scales show effectively zero gender pay gap (same step, same rate). Non-union electricians show an ~8% gap.
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The Biden-era Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act set a 7% workforce participation goal for women in federally-funded construction — a first in federal contracting.
Trend
Women's share of the skilled trades has moved slowly — from 2.6% in 1985 to 4.6% today. Federal contracting incentives and union recruitment programs are associated with modest gains; retention remains the dominant challenge.
| Year | Women entering (%) |
|---|---|
| 1985 | 2.6% |
| 2000 | 2.9% |
| 2010 | 2.6% |
| 2020 | 3.9% |
| 2024 | 4.6% |
Patient outcomes
Research on construction site safety and team composition: mixed-gender crews have fewer OSHA-recordable injuries and fewer near-miss incidents in several large contractor studies.
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Turner Construction's internal 5-year analysis found crews with ≥20% women had 27% fewer recordable safety incidents.
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NIOSH research found female apprentices outperformed on safety knowledge test scores by 14% on average, attributed to different risk-assessment training baselines.
Sources
Frequently asked
What percentage of construction workers are women?
10.9% overall — but most of that is administrative and design roles. Women in the skilled trades specifically sit at 4.6%.
Which trade has the most women?
Painters (7.5%) and commercial truck drivers (8.1%) lead. HVAC (2.1%) and roofers (1.8%) are lowest.
Is harassment really the main barrier?
Retention surveys consistently cite climate and harassment as top reasons women leave trades — 68% report workplace harassment, and these rates are higher than for women in comparable-salary white-collar fields.
Are trades a good career for women?
The pay is strong and the gender pay gap is small where collective bargaining applies. Union protection, apprenticeship paths, and no-college requirement make trades structurally attractive. The retention problem is cultural, not economic.
What's the federal workforce goal?
The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act set a 7% women's workforce participation goal for federally-funded construction — roughly 50% higher than the current rate.