'Change' is under construction

The real estate and design industry in India is on the path to creating a more holistic gender diverse environment. And leading this change is WiREnet, a group that is opening up new avenues for collaboration, innovation and exploration.

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The real estate sector – which includes a whole gamut of professionals such as engineers, designers, architects, construction and management professionals, CRE, FM, sales, etc. – constitutes 16% of our GDP and employs four million people. It is an industry that has been growing at a steadfast pace of 8% (as of 2018).

We have over 4.5 lakh engineers and architects graduating from our colleges every year, and yet one of the biggest problems this sector is dealing with today is that of skill shortage. Given that 60% of all graduating engineers in India are termed unemployable, that is a problem in itself.

Adding to this, we also face a problem with how gender is perceived in the industry. Of the graduating engineers and architects, around 30% are women. However, that percentage dwindles to merely 12% when it comes to the workforce. And even less in leadership. The current statistic is 2% in real estate and construction.

The problem lies at many levels. There is a need for women-friendly workplaces and practices; at the same time, there is also a need to guide, mentor, impart skills, encourage, build visibility and champion women through their careers.

This is where we at WiREnet bring the vision to make a difference. We believe we can improve diversity in real estate through mentorship, knowledge sharing, career guidance, increasing visibility and bringing positive role models for women.