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International Womens Day – A woman in a man’s world
As part of International Women’s Day on the 8th March 2013, communications agency, Lexia Media, threw their weight behind this occasion by showcasing, through an hourly blog, some of the issues and achievements faced by businesswomen in the East of England. We were pleased to be invited to contribute to this event and below is the blog published by the Lexia Team:
A woman in a man’s world – by Dayle Bayliss
The advantage of working in the construction sector is that there is never a shortage of conversation over what it is I do for a living. There is always a look of surprise when I say I am a Chartered Building Surveyor and I run my own consultancy. Most people are intrigued as to how I chose this as a career, and what is it like working in a man’s world. What I do isn’t the most obvious choice for a career and it is quite rare for a female to know they want to leave school and work in construction. I feel very privileged to work in one of the most challenging and diverse sectors there is with no two days the same and always something new to learn, this is an industry that never stands still but is always open to new technology.
Being a female in this industry does often mean you have to prove your capabilities a little bit more. I have always had a drive to succeed in this industry and also be the best at what I do, but found that being female some people are a bit suspicious of this capability. However, this need to prove ability has had its benefits, my peers always joke about the letters after my name and my list of qualifications, but I believe this is all part of showing that I am the right person for the job. I’ve had to work that little bit harder than some, but this just results in you knowing your sector far greater than most and being able to explain the decision making processes with a greater understanding to your clients.
I often get asked do I encounter any negative attitudes from men, and yes this does happen, but often from where you least expect it. When on site with tradesman all anyone is interested in is doing a good job, so gender is irrelevant.
Being a female in a male dominated world does raise lots of questions but these often lead to opportunities, we are able to set ourselves and our services apart from our competitors, we take the time to understand our clients and their needs, this leads to a different approach to our projects.
To view all the blogs throughout the day click here.
