Celebrating Women in Trade for 2023

#EmbraceEquity Welcoming 500 attendees to The Timber Yard in Port Melbourne, Bowens annual Women in Trade Event for 2023 lived up to the hype. Women working in trade and support roles across Melbourne flocked to the venue to help celebrate, support and #EmbraceEquity together. With the gender landscape remaining relatively unchanged as men continue to dominate the construction industry, women, like those who attended this event, are slowly and steadily paving the way for the next generation of female trades. Bowens Managing Director, John Bowen said, “While Bowens more than meets the quota of women in traditional female roles, we still fall short when it comes to our operations and operational leadership.” “While Bowens more than meets the quota of women in traditional female roles, we still fall short when it comes to our operations and operational leadership.” The percentage of females employed at Bowens currently sits at 25 percent and yet the majority of these roles are office based. It is important to recognise the discrepancy between office and site-based roles to accurately identify where the focus for change should lie. A recent article from Monash University suggests why it can be so hard to move the dial on gender equality in construction. “Women don’t want to work in macho environments where they feel they don’t belong. To attract women, the culture has to change to become less ‘blokey’, less aggressive, more diverse and more inclusive.” Until then, events like Bowens Women in Trade, are important to connect, support and empower women in the industry. An Inspiring Line-Up This year’s event opened with a Mental Health Workshop hosted by Tradie and Life Coach, Louise Azzopardi. Louise’s energy and enthusiasm when it comes to supporting female trades was evident in her workshop. The 30-minute session took attendees through her honest and eye-opening journey and provided attendees with a 3-step process of how to overcome anxiety and imposter syndrome in the workplace. Event host, qualified Carpenter and Public Figure, Bardie Somerville, took the stage to introduce formalities, the Welcome to Country and a short introduction about why connection plays an important part in changing the industry. “It’s important not only for us as individuals but when we connect, it creates an environment that women stepping into trades are able to feel more comfortable.” “It’s important not only for us as individuals, but when we connect, it creates an environment that women stepping into trades are able to feel more comfortable.” Monique Burns, Senior Legal Counsel and Legal Manager at Master Builders Association of Victoria, then took the reins for the much-anticipated 2023 Women in Trade panel discussion. In referring to the event and the guest speakers, Monique reinforced the feeling for the day. “Events like this one can be a celebration of how far we’ve come and inspire those around us to keep striving, to be better, to go higher, to be bold and to be brave.” Attendees heard from a diverse panel of industry experts, including a male perspective. Whilst the conversations ranged from mental health to excelling in the industry, the panellists injected their own experiences. The conversation kicked off with Sarah McPherson, Customer Service Manager at Bowens who spoke about her experiences within the industry and how important it was for her to have other women, especially those who are juggling kids, to look up to. Her advice? “Be bold, be brave and don’t doubt yourself. Back yourself,” was a statement by Sarah that was well received by all attendees. While the main issue of the day was firmly fixed on women, Matt Menichelli, Director of Elevate Building Group, suggested that there’s definitely been a shift in the last ten years, however, everyone needs to play their role including individual companies. “We’re transparent, we show that we’re proud, we’re passionate and we create an environment that people want to be a part of.” Panellist and Life Coach for Tradeswomen, Louise Azzopardi offered an awareness and openness that helped her identify what tradeswomen can do to get past self-doubt and negative self-talk. She also discussed the pressure tradeswomen put on themselves that can hinder their success. “When you make a mistake, you’re not only thinking, oh, I made a mistake. I’ve got to fix that. But you’re also thinking, oh, I made a mistake., maybe this company is not going to hire another girl because I’ve made a mistake.” The Margaret Hickey & The Belinda Jackson Awards Continuing to inspire women to excel, the inaugural Margaret Hickey award and the Belinda Jackson awards were announced. Both awards were developed to recognise the recipient’s exceptional work and contribution towards gender equality across construction. Jack Bowen (Bowens Chairman), Cathy Hollingworth (Belinda Jackson Award Winner 2023) & John Bowen (Managing Director) John Bowen presented the Belinda Jackson Award for 2023 to Cathy Hollingworth, Bowens Internal Co-ordinator at Mt Evelyn. Cathy has been an employee at Bowens for over 33 years and her work is of an exceptionally high standard. John Bowen describes her as “a true star of the business,” with her involvement ranging from counter sales, inwards goods, internal sales, stocktake, uniform orders, training and banking. Helma Gash, winner of the Margaret Hickey Award 2023 Vesna Brown, Bowens Head of Human Resources, announced Helma Gash as the winner of the Margaret Hickey award for 2023. Helma and her husband had been running five businesses when she felt the drive to change her life. She spent hundreds of hours studying whilst being a mother to her two young girls, running five businesses and completing her studies to obtain her domestic and commercial builder’s license. Starting Neatline homes in 2000, Helma’s success enabled her to support charity events, build and fund a drug rehab centre and train and employ those affected by addiction. She is a truly worthy recipient. While the evening concluded with a good dose of food, drinks, games, networking and laughs, the sentiment for the day was clear. Vesna put it best; “Bowens, like every other business out there, functions better if we have both men and women involved. The more equal we are, the better we’ll be.” Careers Within Bowens Bowens is working hard to encourage more women to join the industry, however, there is still a long way to go to bridge the gender gap. But it starts here. If you’re interested in a career with Bowens, feel free to visit our careers page for a list of current job opportunities.

Celebrating Women in Trade for 2023

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