While women are increasingly entering and leading in the real estate and construction industries, many still encounter discrimination from their male counterparts. Seven female industry leaders recently shared their experiences rising to the top.
MaryAnne Gilmartin chief executive of development company L&L MAG, co-founded the company in early 2018 after working 23 years at Forest City Realty Trust in New York, five years as an executive. Gilmartin tells The New York Times, “None of us are looking for a handout. We’re just looking for a level playing field." She adds that she does worry about backlash against women in the industry in the #MeToo era, “Where I feel concerned is that the backlash will mean that women won’t get opportunities because the men doing the hiring don’t want to open themselves up to confusion or claims about their behavior.”
But Ms. Gilmartin said she also sees cause for optimism: “As women become more common in the real estate workplace and move up the ladder, we’re in a position to influence who makes up the team.”
She is also hopeful because “there’s pressure on the all-male lineup to diversify,” she said. “This is an industry that changes because it has to, not because it wants to. The failure to address the women issue will cost them money and opportunities, so companies will do what they have to do.”
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