Asian American Women and Construction Work

From Northwest Asian Weekly: “According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2008, while women made up 34 percent of lawyers, 61 percent of accountants, and 79 percent of social workers, they made up only 8 percent of construction managers. With so few women in construction, Asian women in construction are scarce…Working in a place flooded with men, Asian females in construction face many challenges. While physicality alone raises doubts in terms of performance, onlookers wonder how well these women handle the long hours, extreme environment … However, some have made it. They have proven that, with hard work and persistence, Asian women can survive, and even excel, in a line of work dominated by men.” This is one venue of employment that never really crossed my mind as an appealing possibility for women, much less Asian/Asian-American women. But, I suppose: if  there’s a will, there’s always a way.