StraightTalk
Lenore Janis
Taking a Crack at the Concrete Ceiling
Once upon a time not so long ago in a land called Real Life,
a smart young woman went to a wondrous place called
college and graduated in a field where few women tread:
engineering. Another brave woman got a degree in architecture.
When they applied for jobs, they were successful. The big boss
needed their skills and hired them on the spot. But
their joy faded quickly when he placed them in the
backroom, chained to a drafting board at low pay.
There they worked long and hard, never seeing clients and forbidden to appear at job sites.
Each year a big ball played host to 400 men in
tuxedos who came to honor the “Construction Man
of the Year.” Once the two women bought beautiful gowns, paid for their tickets and went to the ball.
There they found a woman who was a vice president
of a family-owned construction business. She laughed
at the story about staying in the back office. “I always
go out and meet people,” she said. “You do?” said the
two women in awe. “Sure. My brother just introduces
me as the company’s sex symbol and then it’s fine.”
This tale could have taken place as recently as the
early 1980s. Yes, we’ve come a long way, baby, but it
is still an uphill climb.
In 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed an executive order to implement participation of minority-owned companies on all publicly funded work. This
referred to all who were a minority in the business community,
including women.
The National Organization for Women called it a major breakthrough. Then the government established separate goals. For
minority-owned business enterprises, it was 5% to 10%, but for
woman-owned business enterprises, no percentage was specified.
How does one implement a “0%” goal?
The Small Business Administration assisted the fledgling companies with loans. MBEs could borrow up to $150,000; WBEs had the
mini-loan of up to $25,000. Still, many women cheered.
Slowly, but surely, the women made inroads. In 1980, a dozen
women owners of construction companies and/or professionals
got together and asked themselves (and whoever else would listen): “Just how high will the concrete ceiling reach?”
PWC was born. Soon our members were hounding Washington and various states to institute meaningful percentage goals for
WBEs. New York Gov. Mario Cuomo effectuated a 5% women’s
goal and told industry leaders at a 1984 PWC meeting that “they
had better start utilizing women’s companies or suffer the loss of
NY State awards.” The 5% goal remains today.
The nonprofit PWC soon realized that a “women’s only” association isolated its members from the people who awarded the contracts and offered employment. After a close vote, PWC became
co-ed in 1985 and provided its members with myriad
support services to enhance their marketing skills
and created opportunities for business interchange.
The most important lesson learned by PWC members? Goals and other government initiatives may
open doors, but competitive pricing and technical
savvy produce contracts and promotions.
Women are now seen and heard in a wide spectrum of the industry. But they want to reach higher
still. Since 2005, PWC has been assisting women’s
climb along the East Coast with new chapters in
New Jersey, Connecticut (covering New England),
Washington, DC, Pennsylvania and Florida.
Will the current economic crisis halt their progress? Will it prove the truth of the maxim, “last
hired, first fired” as “Janey comes lately” loses her
hard-won gains? Probably not, if she has been an
outstanding performer and/or valued employee.
Companies and job seekers realize that even in
difficult times, they need to be visible. PWC National (NY) saw a better-than-ever turnout for its
upcoming trade show, which features a professional recruitment
fair, at the Roosevelt Hotel on Oct. 31.
Shinu Shilesh, a personnel administrator with the New York
State Department of Transportation, recruited at the fair. She commented, “As some employees head toward retirement, we want to
find as many qualified candidates as possible.” Sydney Koerner, HR
director with STV, notes, “We are still actively recruiting in the ar-chitecture/engineering/construction industries.”
A laid-off construction laborer, a woman with 26 years’ experience, said, “To broaden my opportunities I plan to study construction management at the Mechanics Institute.” —RENY
Women are
seen and heard
across a wide in-
dustry spectrum.
But they want
to reach higher
still.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not Real
Estate New York.
Lenore Janis is president and cofounder of PWC National and
a member of Real Estate New York’s editorial advisory board.
She can be reached at pwc@pwcusa.org or 212.486.7745.
