INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
Zdenek Rydl
This week, I attended the CIF International Women's Day event in Clontarf Castle. It was great to see so many women, all at different stages in their career paths within the construction industry, come together to discuss the issues that affect all women working or aspiring to work in the construction industry. The theme of this year's event, in line with international women's day, was BREAKING THE BIAS.
I am the youngest in a family of 6 strong, independent, and inspirational women. Behind us is one very inspirational father. My father had been breaking this bias long before anyone started hashtagging it. He is a man who is always fixing things, and when he needed a hand to hold that big red lamp or, help put tension on the spring of a garage door, or hold that umpires flags, it didn't matter that he had no sons, he always had 12 willing hands eager to learn. And these skills he has taught each one of us, I still bring with me onsite every day. So, whenever I pick up a hammer on a site to put up a sign, and a man shouts over at me, "Be careful with that, you might hurt yourself". I usually shout back, "Don't let my father hear you say that!".
One day at a time, as a female Health and Safety Officer, I am trying to help bring my father's unbiased view of what women can do to the men I work with. Every day I go out, put on my hard hat and muddy boots and get my hands dirty I am the living embodiment of his unbiased views.
All the women sitting in the room with me this week know that we women can do any job that we are given the opportunity to try, but still, we must all go through significant hurdles to get that opportunity. All women working in the construction industry today must continue to break this bias. So that in the future, women coming into the industry will get more and better opportunities and don't have the same hurdles to cross. To all men in the industry today, I would say why not hand that hammer to the women, girls, daughters, sisters, and nieces in your life? You never know, she might just surprise you. And our industry will only be better for it.
Niamh, Senior Health & Safety Officer
