A book that aims to highlight the importance of women in construction
Women in construction has never been common, but at Camden Homes, 50% of our employees are women–and we strive for more! Initiatives like The House That She Built are helping close the gap and bring awareness to women in construction.
The House that She Built is a children’s book, created by Mollie Elkman and Georgia Castellano. The publication was inspired by the true story of women who came together to build a two-story home in Utah. The goal was to highlight the skills of tradeswomen and women-owned companies. Driven by the fact that less than 3% of the onsite workforce in construction is female.
The Utah Home Builders Association’s Professional Women in Building Council of NAHB were responsible of the home building project. Thanks to their significant efforts, the project reached national media interest. Consequently, this helped secure donations, labor, and women all over the country decided to join and contribute.
“…because of The House That She Built you’re seeing more women in construction on social media, whether it’s LinkedIn or Instagram or Facebook. We didn’t create the narrative, but we propelled that narrative to a completely different place,” shared the current Utah PWB president, Jennie Tanner, to Builder Magazine.
The book reflects all stages of the construction process to support workforce development initiatives in the homebuilding industry and empower young readers nationwide. As they read, they will learn about the people and skills that go into building a home – in the hopes of generating an early interest in the career opportunities in construction.
(Photos courtesy of www.utahpwb.com)