The Research Group of the Tradeswomen Taskforce brings together individuals engaged in research which is relevant to women in the building construction trades. This may cover health and safety, harassment, routes into the trades (including apprenticeship), work & family, retention, leadership development, policies that increase the demand for women in construction jobs, or other topics tied into the work and community lives of tradeswomen.
The goals of the group are as follows:
to support the overall mission and policy work of the TWTF
to bring together researchers who are currently engaged in or are interested in working on research topics relevant to women working in the building trades
to build researcher coalitions and engage in discussions and activities supporting recruitment, retention, promotion, and quality of life of tradeswomen.
to support the overall mission and policy work of the Tradeswomen Taskforce to bring together researchers who are currently engaged in or are interested in working on research topics relevant to women working in the building trades to build researcher coalitions and engage in discussions and activities supporting recruitment, retention, promotion, and quality of life of tradeswomen.
Women Build Nations (WBN) is a conference for women who work in the building construction trades; it is attended by about 2000 people each year. The WBN conference is organized by North America’s Building Trades Union (NABTU)’s Tradeswomen’s Committee.
Research Papers:
2021 IWPR Tradeswomen’s Advancement and Retention Survey (Ariane Hegewisch and Eve Mefferd 2021)
Black, Latina, and Afro-Latina Women in Construction Trades Apprenticeships and Employment (Chandra Childers and Lark Jackson 2021)
Research by Maura Kelly on initiatives in Oregon and Washington State
Best Practices Research Briefs (National Center for Women’s Equity in Apprenticeship and Employment)
Portland Metro Region Construction Workforce Market Study (2017)
Unfinished Business: Building Equality for Women in the Construction Trades (Susan Moir et al. 2011)
- IWPR Quick figure “Numbers Matter: Women Working in Construction” – with data for 2015 and 2024, including for construction apprentices.
- IWPR Quick Figure: Chart average hourly wages for women & men who completed apprenticeships in FY 2024, by race/ethnicity – for all apprentices but including some construction data Women Need Better Access to High-Paying Apprenticeships
- IWPR Report on women & apprenticeship – includes a chapter on construction apprenticeships. As Apprenticeships Expand, Breaking Down Occupational Segregation Is Key to Women’s Economic Success IWPR report #C522
- National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER): Research on Women and Construction
Individual states: - Illinois: The Impact of Pre-Apprenticeship Programs in Illinois, Illinois Economic Policy Institute; 2025 https://cwit.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/ilepi-pmcr-impact-of-pre-apprenticeship-programs-in-illinois-final.pdf
- [NB: These two items links can also be accessed through the bullet point on Maura Kelly that is already up on the site] Oregon: “Recruitment and Retention of Apprentices in the Construction Trades” Lindsey Wilkinson & Maura Kelly (data from 2010/11 to 2022/23 ) Factsheet-2024-Recruit-Retention-Apprentices-Construction-Trades.pdf; and
“Evaluation of the Highway Construction Workforce Development Program October 2024” Lindsey Wilkinson and Maura Kelly. 2024-Eval-Highway-Construction-Workforce-Dev-Prog.pdf - Massachusetts: Best practice summaries (https://policygroupontradeswomen.org/best-practices/) , including on Workforce Disparity Studies and the Mass Gaming Commission’s best practice report.
- Wisconsin: “Registered Apprenticeship Programs in Wisconsin’s Construction Industry The Joint Labor-Management Advantage” ; Frank Manzo IV, Jacob Hager, and Robert Bruno (May 2025; 2022 data, with a bit of data on gender) https://lep.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/PMCR-Registered-Apprenticeship.pdf
INTERNET
Kick Ass Careers: www.kickasscareers.ca/educationalbooks
Pride and A Paycheck: Sue Doro, www.prideandapaycheck.com/
On Equal Terms Project, Susan Eisenberg, https://onequalter.ms/Class