In this special section, we celebrate National Women’s Small Business Month with a spotlight of mana wahine in profiles below. We also feature nonprofit leaders who share their insights on empowering women in the building community.

Women are making strides in Hawaii’s construction industry by breaking barriers, contributing vital skills and redefining this traditionally male-dominated field through innovation and diversity.

Hawaii Home + Remodeling spoke with local chapters of Habitat for Humanity, the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), Professional Women in Building Hawaii Council (PWB), and YWCA O‘ahu to learn about supporting women in building and leadership roles.

How does your group or organization aim to empower women?

Habitat for Humanity empowers women in the local construction industry by welcoming female volunteers onto our build sites. Women can exercise all the skill sets required to construct a Habitat home, ranging from framing the walls to installing new floors and trims. I think we provide a safe space for women to come out and learn how. No matter the task at hand, women are eager to make an impact on the community and try something new. It always makes me smile when women tell me at the build site that they plan to use their new skills to DIY a space in their own home. — Nerine Asbel, Director of Operations, Honolulu Habitat for Humanity

NAWIC Hawaii is elevating the success of our wahine in construction and standardizing the value we bring, setting a regular and permanent place of leadership and recognition for us at the table. This year specifically, NAWIC Hawaii focused on our G.O.A.L.S.: Growth, Opportunity, Advancement, Leadership, and Service to directly strengthen and amplify the success of women. Providing leadership development, opportunity and high visibility, we received national recognition; our chapter members were awarded three national awards through NAWIC this year. — Amanda Canada, President, NAWIC Hawaii

PWB connects women with other professionals in the industry, creating valuable relationships and mentorship opportunities. These connections can help women climb the career ladder, learn from each other and build a strong support network. PWB offers workshops, seminars and conferences to help women gain the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in construction. — Tiffanie Gardner, Vice Chair, PWB

The Patsy T. Mink Center for Business & Leadership (MCBL) at YWCA O‘ahu provides several women-focused leadership programs that represent diverse industries including finance, health, energy, education, insurance, construction, legal, state and government agencies, as well as entrepreneurs and nonprofits. Additional programs support beginning women leaders by building confidence, creating a network of support and determining their leadership style, along with a mentorship program and talk-story panels with executive women leaders in our community. — Colleen McAluney, Director, Patsy T. Mink Center for Business & Leadership at YWCA O‘ahu

Why is representation important for women in traditionally male-dominated fields, such as construction?

Representation is critical for women in traditionally male-dominated fields like construction because it’s about reshaping an industry where talent, not gender, determines success. Almost 47% of U.S. workers are women, but in the construction industry, women make up only 11% (women make up 14% of Hawaii’s construction workforce, so Hawaii is ahead of the curve!). This is a huge market in which we should be encouraging more women to consider and enter. — Amanda Canada

Seeing women rocking it in these roles challenges old-school ideas about what women can and can’t do. It shows our young wahine that the sky’s the limit when it comes to their dreams. When girls see women working as engineers or leading construction projects, they have real-life role models to look up to. This can spark their interest in careers they might not have considered before. — Tiffanie Gardner

How can the community support wahine builders and leaders?

As more women are entering construction-related companies, challenges and barriers remain, making it crucial for both men and women leaders to actively support and promote gender diversity in the industry. Specific ways to help women leaders in construction include mentoring women in construction leadership positions and actively supporting initiatives that aim to increase the recruitment and retention of women in all facets of the industry. Women leaders themselves are allies to women within their companies and should strongly support them to grow into leadership positions. — Colleen McAluney

Construction-related industries are always in need of project management, new systems and processes, as the industry is ever-evolving. Women are extremely creative and keen on organization. If provided the opportunity to access and create new systems, allow us the space to do so, and embrace ideas we may bring to the table. I also think women can be hard on themselves — our empathetic nature makes that somewhat inevitable. We’re always striving to be that for ourselves, our teams, our families. The community can support women builders by continuing to be encouraging of our efforts. — Nerine Asbel