Women at work: Quebec construction company manager speaks out about gender stereotypes

A top manager at a Quebec City construction company is speaking out about gender stereotypes in the industry.

“You always feel like you’re starting off with a strike, being a woman,” said Melissa O’Connor-Lemieux, a business development coordinator for Escalera.

“A woman in construction, does she know what she’s talking about?”

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O’Connor-Lemieux works to attract potential clients.

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Most of the time, she’s the face of her company and that can elicit what she calls an interesting reaction.

“Hmm, a woman in the construction field, that’s rare, isn’t it?” she said.

“I always get taken back by that comment.”

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O’Connor-Lemieux is a manager and a leader – she insists that shouldn’t be controversial in this day and age.

“I didn’t expect the surprised reaction for the type of work that I do. Yeah, I am in the construction field. No, I don’t build the project,” she said.

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Female workers in construction is nothing new.

O’Connor-Lemieux works with three other women in her office and knows many others in the field that hold different positions, including project managers.

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She said she tries to laugh off any surprise she encounters, but she’s concerned about how stereotypes impact her and other women’s ability to do their jobs.

“I have to over-ride that image and I have to convince people that we don’t fit in that stereotype,” she said.