The Rise of Women in Facility Management

Being a male-centric career field, facility management has traditionally witnessed a lack of women representation. As the field is not dominant in the mainstream line of occupations, women opting for a career in such fields were few. Subsequently, men have outnumbered women in facility management roles worldwide. This gap widens at the higher levels of the hierarchy. There exist even fewer women in leadership roles. Several factors like lack of flexibility, gender unfriendly workspaces, rigid protocols that don’t accommodate caregiving responsibilities, and lack of women mentors are responsible for this alarming inequality.

But this gender disparity has been challenged in the last few years. A Study by the U.S Bureau of Labour Statistics stated that more than 25 percent of the facility management workforce is women. This ring truer at the entry-level where almost 50 percent of the workforce is women. Awareness about the management sector has also immensely contributed to it. Additionally, there is also a significant rise in women employees in leadership roles. More women are now occupying a seat at the table that is serving a double purpose. It not only closes the gigantic gender gap but also encourages other women to join the sector and aim for higher positions in their companies. Moreover, organisations are recognizing the value of diverse teams which will ultimately benefit the sector in the longer run.

The diversity that women employees bring to the sector and the organisations enhance the quality of service offered. Melanie Young, a district facility manager at Sodexo mentioned in an interview that “as facility managers, we have a lot of control over the built environment, which we know can have a profound impact on facility occupants’ productivity as well as their health and wellbeing. If our FM teams aren’t diverse themselves, how can we ensure we are truly understanding and empathetic to increasingly diverse populations and their unique needs?” Therefore, it is undeniably true that facility management can largely benefit from women’s inherent great social and management skills.

Read also: Effective Practices for Sustainable Facility Management

Due to strong communication and problem-solving skills, women have enhanced the dynamicity in facility management. The comparative higher Emotional Quotient (EQ) in women than men make them not only efficient facility managers but they have excelled in every role that the sector has to offer. Helpdesk executives, marketing roles, sales executives, security guards, housekeeping staff, etc are some of the many responsibilities that are fulfilled by them.

Hence, on this women’s day, TalbotFORCE appreciates the contribution of women and celebrates them. It aims to create a diverse and gender-inclusive space that inspires more women to join our journey of excellence. We hope to change the face of facility management by closing the gender gap that prevails in the sector.