One of the questions I like to ask female facilities managers is “why do you think there is a place for women in this industry.” I almost always get the response “well, why not?”
That’s the question that we have to keep asking ourselves. Why can’t women be a part of this industry?
According to Zippia, facilities manager positions are dominated by men, with women holding only 24.5 percent of these roles. Since 2010, that number has only increased 1 percent. However, women facilities managers tend to skew younger than their male counterparts at 47 years of age compared to 51 years of age.
It’s statistics like this that prove how much representation matters within the industry. Women are more likely to join the facilities world once they see women thriving in it because it makes the job seem more attainable.
And it’s not to say that they aren’t thriving – it's just harder to see because men still outnumber women in leadership positions by nine to one, according to a report by The Glasshammer. Despite this, women are uniquely qualified for leadership positions because they have a high degree of emotional intelligence, which allows them to bring self-awareness, self-management, strong social skills and empathy to the job every single day. Having more female leadership improves the work culture, allowing for higher productivity rates and overall efficiency. Meanwhile, gender-diverse teams are better at coming up with solutions to daily challenges, according to Lead Management Institute.
The only way we can continue to close the gender gap within facilities management is by addressing diversity, inclusion and equity within the industry. We need to continue to have these hard conversations and be honest with one another about what happens while on the job. In order to get more women to join the industry, we have to keep showing up to work every single day.
“I do believe that at the end of the day it is intrinsically built in us [women] to want to care for and make things better,” says Danielle J. Floyd, director of public works for Delaware County in Pennsylvania. “That deep level of commitment is such a value to have. We just make things work. We weed through the excuses to get the job done. The more that the ‘soft’ skills are valued as equally as the ‘hard’ skills that are required for roles, the more people that will take out the extra time to seek out someone who may not have been initially thought of for the position.”
At NFMT Baltimore, a diverse group of women will come together for the annual Women in FM panel on March 22. Throughout this event, women will have the opportunity to discuss how to recruit and retain more female talent, share strategies for success and address any fears or frustrations that one may have. The Women in FM panel will also share wins, give advice and champion others to move up within the industry.
Mackenna Moralez is the associate editor for the facilities market.
