Women are tipping the gender balance and entering the construction industry in greater numbers than ever before.

For International Women’s Day we spoke to three women making their mark in very different roles on the Fleurieu Connections Alliance. They are bringing their unique expertise and insights to stage 2 of the duplication of Main South Road in the stunning Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia.

Anushka Barman - Site Engineer

It’s an early start for Anushka with a 5am alarm to get her to site in time for pre-start. From there, she needs to hit the ground running in an industry where change is constant. ‘There are many challenges we face through the whole day,’ she says. ‘Work moves really fast in this industry and so do we. As engineers we need to have the ability to rephrase our brains to be able to sit and think of a strategy if one does not work.

Anushka has already taken some big steps in her industry and was recently promoted from graduate to a site engineer. She says women bring many qualities to the traditionally male-dominated construction industry. ‘I would say that women bring the calmness that increases the ability to resist any kind of storms,’ Anushka says. ‘Additionally, women bring in diversity, which enhances creativity and innovation, contributing to better decision making and project outcomes.’

The theme for International Women’s Day in 2025 is ‘Accelerate Action’ for gender equality. Anushka is part of the Women in Construction Committee and has contributed to a Gender Equality Action Plan, which promotes gender equality, diversity and inclusion. Anushka says mentorship programs, flexible work options and family friendly policies were among the elements that are helping to advance women in construction.

Sharon Oliver – Community and Stakeholder Engagement Adviser

Success in Sharon’s role requires a careful balancing act between internal and external stakeholders.

‘No two days are the same,’ she says, adding that it’s about finding the middle ground between tight construction timelines, and ensuring that the local community and businesses were aware of and understood the reasons for works and closures. It was also about trying to reduce the impacts on the local community and livelihoods where possible. ‘You’re the person in between and that can be quite challenging,’ Sharon says. She says having women in construction roles added elements of understanding and empathy. ‘I think women have a bit more understanding of the wider picture and the impacts on people.’

Reflecting on the theme for International Women’s Day and ways to ‘Accelerate Action’ for gender equality, Sharon said that mentors could assist women, particularly those new to the industry. ‘I used to run a mentoring program for women in a former male-dominated workplace with fortnightly meetings to discuss issues, challenges and career goals,’ Sharon says. ‘The program was very successful,’ she says, adding that it empowered women to take control of their careers.

Shilpa Trehan, Finance Manager

Overseeing the financial health of the Fleurieu Connections Alliance project is at the heart of Shilpa Trehan’s work. She manages the team that’s responsible for the preparation of budgets, cost forecasting and management, and financial reporting. Shilpa believes that women bring many positive elements to construction roles. ‘I think inclusive teams bring innovative ideas, fresh and diverse perspective,’ she says. ‘Women bring creativity and problem-solving skills to complement the team and deliver best outcomes.’

She is a passionate advocate for flexible working options to support the advancement of women. ‘I think promoting flexible work arrangements is a must,’ Shilpa says. I have always provided flexibility to my team, in terms of work from home options, flexible hours to manage personal commitments and the right experience to advance in their roles. Shilpa is optimistic about the future of the construction industry in terms of gender diversity and inclusion. ‘I can see a promising future as awareness and efforts to promote gender equality continue to grow,’ she says. ‘Commitment from the government by way of introducing incentive linked policies on Infrastructure projects to promote women in construction is clear evidence of this change.’