The Wall Street Journal reported that some U.S. construction employers are changing benefits and jobsite conditions to recruit women, who made up 4.3% of construction and extraction workers in 2025.
Women accounted for 4.7% of workers in installation, maintenance and repair occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Their shares were 3.1% among carpenters, 3.5% among electricians, and 3.1% among plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters.
In 2015, women made up 2.7% of construction and extraction workers and 3.5% of workers in installation, maintenance and repair. BLS cautions that the 2025 annual averages are not strictly comparable with other years because October survey data were not collected during the federal government shutdown.
For 2025 through 2035, BLS estimates that about 587,000 positions will open each year, on average, across construction and extraction occupations. The count includes roles linked to employment growth and replacement hiring when workers leave those occupations permanently; it is not a snapshot of current vacancies. Median annual pay in the group was $59,540 in May 2025, compared with $50,980 across all occupations.
Mortenson’s benefits page lists four weeks of paid parental leave for nonunion craft employees with at least six months of company service. Birth mothers are eligible for 12 weeks of total maternity leave, while union craft employees receive benefits through their union.
Skanska’s 2024 inclusion report described a preferred-partner program that offered employees discounts on personal protective equipment designed for women. The report documents the discount program but does not quantify its effect on recruitment or retention.
Washington construction rules covering restroom access, menstrual products and accommodations to express milk took effect July 1, 2025. Illinois has enacted a law that includes construction-site lactation accommodations; it takes effect Jan. 1, 2027. The measures provide workers with benefits and accommodations while placing requirements on employers; the cited state sources do not quantify implementation costs.
