At a recent panel discussion geared toward women, most of the attendees under 35 years old raised their hands when they specifically were asked if they feel they have the same opportunities in industry as men. The enthusiastic response led one panelist to say, “the game is changing,” but not long afterward an audience member expressed frustration over management not viewing her as equal to the men she works with. That led some audience members to nod their heads in agreement, with one quietly saying “there’s still a glass ceiling.”
One way to handle an odds-stacked-against-you situation is to seek advice from a mentor in the company, said Angie K. Jones, vice president of Construction Remediation at Somerset, N.J.-based AMEC. Jones was one of the panelists for “Caution—Women at Work,” one of the sessions at ENR’s Groundbreaking Women in Construction conference, held May 8-9 in New York.