While construction has long been a predominantly male industry, more women are being seen entering construction-related fields, according to Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC).

In Birmingham, Ala., ABC member firm BE&K Construction has been working to encourage more women to enter trades in the construction-related industry. To help raise awareness among young women of the opportunities provided by careers in construction, the company founded "The BE&K School of Industrial Construction: It's a Girl Thing!," a week-long day-camp program that offers high school girls training in jobsite safety, welding, carpentry and electrical crafts. The program was launched in 2002 with an enrollment of nine girls, and each year since then attendance has doubled in size.

ABC has also recognized the efforts of women in the trades at the national level. In the past two years, two of ABC's top annual awards were presented to women in the construction industry. In 2002, ABC recognized Mary Hodge of BE&K, who works in instrumentation, welding, pipefitting and electrical work, with its Craft Professional of the Year award. In 2003, the company's Craft Instructor of the Year award went to Christine Thorstensen Porter, instructor at the Construction Industry Training Council of Seattle, Washington.

According to the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), between 1995 and 2002, the number of women in construction increased 18 percent, growing from 762,000 to 897,000. This number, however, accounts for less than 10 percent of the 9.6 million total workers employed in the construction industry in 2002. The Bureau of Labor Statistics' current population survey shows that women accounted for only 9.6 percent of the construction industry workforce in 2003. ABC's aim is to increase that percentage, especially in light of the threats of worker shortages that the construction industry faces.