The Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (AIQS) has released new data revealing that 32 per cent of their members under 30 years of age are female.
This figure is more than double the amount of female AIQS members overall, and almost three times the average number of females in the construction industry.
AIQS Board Member Fiona Doherty highlights that the construction industry has always been male dominated.
“Even today, just 13.3 per cent of the industry identify as women and within our own association, the number is 14 per cent overall. To see that number jump to 32 per cent in the under 30s category is a really exciting indication of a far more balanced future.
“I think this can be attributed to a strong push across the board for gender equality — from schools pushing STEM subjects to associations like AIQS all promoting the advantages and rewards of a career in construction,” said Doherty.
For example, at 28, Ziqi Chen is one of the young females who has entered the Quantity Surveying (QS) profession.
As an Executive Quantity Surveyor for Rider Levett Bucknall, Chen says that while the profession was not one that immediately came to mind, its benefits quickly drew her to the field.
“Quantity surveying was offered as a new major when I was at my first year of university doing a building and construction management degree. I have always liked math and thought this might be the best-suited profession for me,” said Chen.
Now that Chen is working in the profession, she said that the rewards keep coming.
“I like the fact quantity surveying has many facets. Every project is unique in itself and there are also a range of services to quantity surveying that many might not realise but we do deliver as part of our profession. It also gives sense of achievement seeing the project you are involved in being developed from hand-drawn blocks and lines to considering every detail and then to seeing it built,” said Chen.
The profession is also in high demand, with the average salary range from $100,000 to $170,000 per year.