Women in Construction Garner NAWIC Support

Rosie the Riveter stood as a cultural icon for women who worked in the factories during World War II. Now, with no government propaganda to entice women into certain labor fields, people like Sandi Quam are doing the job.

Quam, office manager of Quality Glass in Lowell, is the Region 5 director of the National Association of Women in Construction.

Last year, the association celebrated its 50th anniversary, and the Northwest Arkansas chapter celebrated its 25th anniversary, she said.

NAWIC was started by 16 women in the Fort Worth, Texas, area as a network for women in the construction industry, Quam said. The association is made up of women who are project managers, accountants, office managers and construction workers. There are about 5,500 women who are members of NAWIC, with 13 regions of 175 chapters in the United States.

Quam, who has worked in the construction industry since 1991, oversees Region 5, which encompasses Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and a part of Tennessee. There are 240 members in Region 5.

A member since 2000, Quam served one year as treasurer of the Northwest Arkansas chapter and two years as chapter president before taking the regional director job in September. There are about 14 members in the Northwest Arkansas chapter, which covers Benton and Washington counties, she said. But one thing Quam said the local chapter is missing is actual tradeswomen who work in the field. Most of their members are office construction workers.

“I know there are tradeswomen in the industry out there who are not members of NAWIC, and for them to have that resource available to them, the networking and support, would be great,” she said. “I know they’re out there, I just don’t know where they are.”

Construction Education

The NAWIC Education Foundation has continuing education certification programs that are administered by Clemson University in South Carolina, she said. Each year, the NAWIC Founders’ Scholarship gives $25,000 for an undergraduate and construction trades scholarship.

The education increases women’s knowledge in the industry in fields that are usually held by men.

“There are so much more [women in the industry] than there were 10 to 15 years ago, as far as women being architects, project managers and engineers,” Quam said.

But women are still getting paid less for the same type of occupation in the construction fields, whether it be trades or engineering, Quam said.

In 2000, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that men who were engineering managers made an annual median income of $90,000, compared to $75,000 for women. However, in the construction trade helpers’ category, women earned the same as men.

“Women now don’t have to fight quite as hard as they used to to gain the respect,” Quam said. “To me, in this industry, you gain the respect by knowing what you’re talking about, being educated about what you’re speaking about, and if you don’t know, keep your mouth shut or ask questions.”