News Detail

New Growth: Women in ACI

7/1/2009

In the last issue, I spoke about sustainability. We are accustomed to hearing this term used to describe practices that make the best, most responsible use of resources. One of ACI’s most important resources is people—our members, those affiliated with the concrete industry at large, and students who are studying to enter concrete-related fields. Recently, we have seen very encouraging growth in one particular segment of our human resources: women in ACI.

Generally speaking, engineering-related professions have always had strong male representation, with women's participation increasing gradually. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that in 1983, only 5.8% of employed engineers in all fields were women; and by 2007, the figure had nearly doubled to become 11% (source: www.nsf.gov/statistics/wmpd/figh-1.htm). It’s interesting to note that civil engineering specifically was ranked fourth in growth of female representation among industries not traditionally occupied by women, with an increase of 186% between 1983 and 2002 (source: www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/2004/winter/oochart.pdf). These numbers reflect a positive change for women looking to enter a traditionally male-dominated field.

ACI is a solid example of increased female participation, with its female membership doubling over the last 10 years to 9%. Twenty of our technical committees are currently chaired by women, including the new committee on sustainability. Over the years, we have enjoyed strong leadership from prominent female members of ACI. Our three female Honorary Members—Jo Coke, Mary Hurd, and Katharine Mather—have each contributed invaluably to the organization. When reflecting on the past, Mary Hurd stated: "In 1947 when I got my civil engineering degree from Iowa State University, few of the interviewers who came to campus wanted to talk with a female graduate (let alone hire one!). But H.J. Gilkey, an Iowa State professor soon to be President of ACI, knew that ACI was opening a new position. After facing some initial opposition, Professor Gilkey managed to get me an interview…and so I was hired and thus began my indoctrination into the concrete world." ACI is grateful for the service of pioneering women such as Mary. Katharine Mather was also a dedicated and pioneering female member of ACI; but, unfortunately, she passed far too early.

Jo Coke served as ACI's first—and to date only—female President. Her tireless encouragement of women within the industry has been inspirational to me as I've started my presidential term. Among her many accomplishments was the creation of a platform for women to network at ACI conventions. When I asked Jo her view on women's participation in ACI, she said: "Not only are there now more women members, there has been a significant increase in those who attend conventions and actively serve on committees. The Women in ACI receptions are now drawing 75 and more each convention. With contributing numbers like these, it's time for another woman President!"

This is not a new topic of discussion for ACI; in 1991, then, President Leon Glassgold wrote about women in ACI. Today, ACI is excited to report an unprecedented shift in women's participation. Our success in welcoming more members from this demographic group is largely being driven by ACI's new online presence. Our e-learning program has outpaced not only the national statistics for women working in engineering-related fields, but also previous ACI membership figures. Currently, 20.8% of those enrolled in the e-learning program are female, showing that this niche program is a very effective way to reach out to nontraditional demographics. One of my presidential objectives is to improve and streamline our e-learning program so that ACI can reach even more people. Clearly, this program is key to drawing participation from new members.

Looking beyond statistics, I took an informal survey of some female members of ACI who are very active within the organization. The feedback I received can be effectively summed up by one member who noted: "I'm involved in a lot of varied types of industry organizations, and ACI is woman-friendly—probably more than most." These words ring true and are very encouraging to hear. Women are by no means a new human resource within ACI, but the growth of this demographic group in recent years is making significant changes to not only this organization, but also the industry at large. Let’s continue the growth!

Florian G. Barth
American Concrete Institute
fb@florian.com

Back to Memo List