CAWIC (Canadian Association of Women in Construction)

A non-profit Canadian organization incorporated in October 2005, CAWIC was formed to enhance the success of women in the construction industry. Their mission is to facilitate the success of women in the Canadian construction industry by uniting their voices, knowledge and resources through the passion of their members and the women they inspire.
Membership base consists of women in a diverse mix of industries spanning every sector of business, including Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Law, Real Estate, Trades, Manufacturing, Interior Design & Renovation, and Technology.
CAWIC hosts regular meetings like industry specific presentations, workshops and project site tours. They plan educational seminars, are actively involved in supporting local communities , hold career days, and have a Mentorship Program providing support, information and guidance to women interested in construction related careers, as well as to their prospective and new members.
The Association is governed by a Board of Directors, who meet monthly, and are elected annually from within its membership.

Partnerships
In September 2010 CAWIC announced its new partnership with BILD (the Greater Toronto Area Building and Land Development Association) opening the door to more opportunities for members.
Upcoming events include CAWIC’s Annual General Meeting on April 14^th, 2011 and
Habitat for Humanity Toronto Women Build starting May 6^th, 2011
CAWIC is putting together a team to help raise a roof over a needy family’s head and raise funds for Habitat for Humanity to put roofs over many other families.
It will be a great day of building fun, with other women from the industry, and a great way to build relationships while building a better Toronto!
The objective of Women Build 2011 is to help construct a block of 29 new townhouses and break the cycle of poverty for 29 families in need of a simple, decent, affordable home.
From May 5-8, Habitat for Humanity hopes to engage 400 women to participate in days of hammering, sawing, painting, laughing and caring.
At Ecopainting a proud new member, we see a whole lot of exciting things happening here!

This is International Women’s Day and the title of this blog seems appropriate.

This blog is the second part discussion, on women working as painters. If a woman is to succeed in a non traditional career, it would be helpful if the working conditions and work environment are more conducive. Preferential treatment is not necessary, but there are some needs and considerations.

What do women painters want?

First of all, it is our intent to make this the best job any painter can have. Some real benefits are:

good pay, good and safe working conditions, fully paid benefits, job security, training, opportunities for advancement etc. These are good for men and women alike, but are there any special considerations?

Pay equity

Women still earn a bout 70.5% of the wages men earn. This will not be the case within our company. In addition, to that, any promotions, or any advancement opportunities will be offered equally.

What about other women benefits such as additional maternity benefits, flex time for mothers, childcare allowances? Some bigger and forward thinking companies offer such benefits. Is it possible for a small painting contractors to offer such benefits? We do not only think it is possible but likely. As our company grows, the possibilities become very exciting.

Equal opportunity

from our Employee Handbook:

“Ecopainting Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. This means that all qualified persons are accorded an equal opportunity for employment or promotion without regard to race, religion, colour, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, medical condition, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, marital status, sex or age.”

Harassment free workspace

from our Employee Handbook:

“Ecopainting Inc. will not tolerate any form of employee harassment, either verbal or physical, based on race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, medical condition, sexual orientation or marital status. It is the intent of the Company, that all employees will work in an environment that is free from harassment of any employee by another employee, supervisor, contractor, client or customer.

It is a specific policy of Ecopainting Inc. to provide a work environment that is free of sexual harassment. Sexual harassment includes but is not limited to unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.

If any employee believes that he/she has been the victim of harassment, the matter should immediately be reported”

At the end it does come down to keeping the painter happy.

Happy International Women’s Day!

Common theme in a commercial: superwoman in a business suit,
navigating a briefcase through a seemingly successful and perfect family and business life.

Safe to say, we are not there yet. In trades, and painting in particular, the percentage of women is very small. Even a smaller percentage of women painters are in management positions in the very fragmented paint contracting field.

On that issue we had a chance to interview George Zarogiannis, president of Ecopainting Inc. Ecopainting is a local Toronto Painting contractor, known in the area for employing women painters.
Your company always had women painters. How do your customers see that?

Most of our customers don’t really think much of it. There is the occasional person that will see the novelty of having a woman painter, but the majority of people’s opinion is really a reflection of society’s in general. A painter is a painter.

What roles and positions do women have in your company?

All of them. One of the company owners is a woman. There are women in administration, marketing and sales. On the field, our main commercial job manager is female, managing both men and women painters. We did have, and still have women apprentices working and applying to work for us .

How different are women painters?

There is the misconception that women would excel in the decorative parts of the painting trade, while men are stronger and would be able to handle the physical aspects of the job better.
Pop psychology (you know…Men are from Mars, etc.), late night decor shows and magazine articles would make you think that is the case. The reality we have experienced is different.
Men, may (sometimes) be stronger, as far as brute physical strength is concerned, but that is not needed most of the time. Most construction projects require the mental strength, patience and stamina that sometimes only women can provide. The hard work that some of our women painters have contributed has been humbling. And yes, our women painters have been as comfortable, or not, as men have been on 32 foot ladders.