Women in construction celebrated in San Diego amid International Women’s Day
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/ KUSI) — Coinciding with the same week as International Women’s Day, the City of San Diego is celebrating local women who dedicate their careers to building a better community.
City officials deemed March 3-9 “Women in Construction (WIC) Week,” joining other cities across the country that are honoring their female workforce.
According to a spokesperson from the city Communications Department, WIC Week first started back in 1998 by the National Association of Women in Construction. It was created as a way to “celebrate and promote the role of women in the construction industry.”
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The city said the occasion celebrates their “strength and knowledge,” as well as ,the vital role they play in shaping the future of the construction industry.”
Though women are a minority in field, San Diego’s Engineering and Capital Projects Department has 238 women supporting infrastructure throughout the city. As explained by the spokesperson, these women specifically work behind the scenes in crucial roles.
Some of their tasks include designing projects, overseeing construction sites, performing surveys, and conducting quality assurance tests to meet city standards. They also lead teams responsible for designing and building a variety of city assets, including the following:
— West Mission Bay Drive Bridge Project
— The Pacific Highlands Ranch Library Project
— The Ocean Beach Pier Renewal Project
— Resurfacing dozens of miles of city streets
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“The construction industry continues to evolve and part of that is the significant increase in talented women feeling empowered to join the field,” said city engineer Rania Amen, director of the Engineering and Capital Projects Department. “I am proud to lead a department that promotes diversity and inclusion and features women engineering some of the most critical pieces of infrastructure for San Diegans.”
In January 2022, the Women in Field Construction Committee was established and now has more than 60 members. It’s meant to establish camaraderie among women in construction, while also offering tools to help local women navigate the construction industry.
San Diego has hundreds of employees in the construction industry and is openly recruiting for a variety of positions in the field.
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