Property professional Minjia Yan has earned a reputation as a go-getter in Las Vegas commercial real estate circles because of her work on local development as well as volunteering for nonprofit groups and serving as an adjunct commercial property professor at a nearby college.
But Yan, the director of investment at Millennium Commercial Properties, said she still faces challenges in an industry where men make up most of the owners and leaders.
"I have been to some meetings where I felt my voice was not heard or valued," Yan said in an interview. "I left those meetings realizing that such a company, association or project may be somewhat successful, but it won’t thrive. It won’t attract and retain top talent, and solutions that come out from those meetings are usually not innovative at all."
This year's theme for International Women's Day centers on inspiring others to understand and value women's inclusion to create a better world, with the #InspireInclusion theme designed to highlight the challenges women face. International Women's Day, marked annually on March 8 across the globe, aims to emphasize the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women and provide a call to action for accelerating women's equality, organizers say.
For Diana Biasotti, JLL's leader of agency leasing in New York City, it's important that the commercial real estate industry ensure everyone has the opportunity to contribute.
"The diverse backgrounds and talents we each bring to the table could be just what a particular transaction needs," Biasotti said in an email. "Limiting someone’s potential is limiting the potential outcome for the entire industry."
Facing Roadblocks
On the positive side, she said she has seen "an exponential increase of women in all facets of the industry, including brokerage," since starting in commercial real estate in the late 1980s. But Biasotti said she also has seen roadblocks mounted in front of women trying to advance their careers.
"I think the biggest challenge — and hopefully it won’t be as significant for the next generations — is the perception that women who take personal time aren’t as committed to their jobs, especially as they start families," she said. "In my experience, that perception limits women’s growth in the workplace."
In conversations with women in the industry, several cited an overall lack of females and a not enough in leadership positions as well as hurdles to career advancement.
"Individuals seek mentorship and sponsorship from people who are like them; thinking, 'they can do it, I can do it too!'" Jessica Waters, chief information officer of Choate Construction. in Atlanta, said in an email. "We are seeing more women in leadership, but this requires companies to intentionally commit to recruiting, developing and promoting women."
In alignment with the International Women's Day theme for Inspire Inclusion, Waters said: "Increasing the diversity and prevalence of women in our industry is critical to its survival. With just 11% of the construction industry consisting of women and female-identifying individuals, we are missing out on the wealth of ideas, talents, and alternative perspectives women bring to the table."
In Fort Worth, Texas, Stephany Ruiz said diversity in the workplace is essential to attracting and retaining top talent and to ensuring long-term success.
"The underrepresentation of women in senior leadership positions can create a lack of knowledge, direction, and advancement opportunities for women, " Ruiz, vice president of portfolio marketing and experience at Trademark Property, said in an email. "Addressing and overcoming these challenges can be done through ongoing efforts of promoting diversity, equity and inclusion within the industry."
Broken Rung
Karen Whitt, 2024 president of the Commercial Real Estate Women, or CREW, Network that advocates for and helps women advance in the industry, said she has seen progress on women gaining more influential positions in businesses.
"What has changed throughout my career is the positions women hold — there has been a significant shift from administrative positions to leadership roles," Whitt, the Washington, D.C.-based president of Colliers' U.S. real estate management services group, said in an email. "When I used to attend industry events early in my career, there were very few women. Now there are always really long lines for the ladies’ room at events and it is the only time I am happy to wait."
Whitt said a CREW survey in December 2023 found that 80% of women encounter unique hurdles when it comes career advancement. "Contrary to popular belief, research indicates that the glass ceiling is not the biggest obstacle to women’s progression. It is the first step up to manager — or the 'broken rung,' that is setting women back," she said.
Asked to share other concerns, respondents cited an overall lack of visibility and disparities with their male counterparts when it came to chances to form new business relationships, she said. "A prevalent issue is the persistence of a 'boys club' culture, limiting networking and opportunities."
The pay gap also remains "one of the industry’s significant gender disparities," Whitt said.
Diversifying workforces in the industry helps other ways, said Kez Gneiting, national supply chain manager for global development and construction firm Skanska.
"There is an ongoing labor shortage [in construction], and it is essential to capture top talent regardless of culture, race, gender or sexual orientation," Gneiting said in an email. "Studies have also shown that having diverse teams can be very helpful in increasing performance and results."
Different Perspective
Gneiting noted that it's also Women in Construction Week, and that "increasing the presence of women in the industry is critical because they can bring a unique perspective and voice to the workplace."
Her colleague at Skanska, Alanah Duke, an assistant superintendent, said having a mentor in the industry has helped her. She has both female and male mentors.
"There is much to learn on a construction job site that isn’t taught in school," Duke said in an email. "I’ve been fortunate to meet various people who have helped guide me from informal mentors and mentors through an established mentorship program. As a woman in construction, having a female mentor is beneficial to learn from their experience navigating a male-dominated industry."
Lainie Cleghorn, director of marketing and proposals at Caddell Construction in Montgomery, Alabama, said not having a female mentor made things tough when she started in the architecture, engineering and construction, or AEC, industry in 1990.
"It was difficult trying to forge strong coworker relationships without being 'one of the guys' when I was a 22-year-old woman right out of college, and mistakes were definitely made!" Cleghorn said in an email. "Later, when I married and had children, there were more hurdles to clear, and I once again longed for a mentor."
Cleghorn said she worked hard to learn to speak up about her needs differing from her male counterparts. Now she makes sure to help those following in her footsteps.
"Somehow, I made it work," she said. "Now, I do my best to be the mentor I didn’t have and advocate to senior leadership for the working women and mothers in my orbit."
Back in Las Vegas, Millennium's Yan said she is working to find opportunities for other women in the industry to get exposure and tell their stories so that others might learn.
"Every year, I help [the] American Institute of Architects Las Vegas chapter to plan their Women’s History Month event," Yan said. "We always go beyond the typical speaker search pool and are able to find competent, talented women professionals who are great public speakers and can provide fresh perspectives to the topics."
And Choate Construction's Waters said she still thinks about advice given to women by the late Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman to be elected to the U.S. Congress.
“If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair,” Waters quoted Chisholm as saying. "Opportunity is not simply given out; it is seized by those who can see it."