Building homes is women's domain

From the Contra Costa Times, San Francisco, CA: Building homes is women's domain

The Women Empowerment Build ended today (Monday) but it's an interesting read:

It was a sight rarely seen at a construction site – women outnumbered men Saturday as they laid bricks and raised wooden frames on homes that will eventually house low-income families in Pacoima.

And today, the proportion will likely skew even more toward the fairer sex as the female cast of TV shows such as The Bold and the Beautiful and Days of Our Lives work alongside volunteers on the Habitat for Humanity's first Women Empowerment Build.

The celebrities will be joined by female leaders in the science, engineering and technology industries, such as Julie Zingerman, a rocket scientist, and Patti Wagner, vice president of information technology at Southern California Gas Company. James Kelly, a male astronaut who flew on Discovery and worked under a female captain, will also work on building six duplexes.

"For the girls, it's critical for them to see women of all different backgrounds and all different trades here and working together," said Donna Deutchman, CEO of Habitat for Humanity in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys. "It's critical for the mentors to work side by side with them to experience and discuss the idea of empowerment and the idea of community change and a woman's role in determining the future of the world."

The six homes are the first of 24 being constructed as part of the last phase of the development at 12600 Carl St. The 1.6-acre site already has 37 homes completed and occupied. Fourteen homes are scheduled


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Advertisement
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
to be completed by Christmas and another 10 should be finished by next July.
The build is also helping women get hands-on experience in home repair and construction, several volunteers said.

"We're kind of entering into a field where women aren't typically expected to be found, so it's very refreshing," said volunteer Margaret Ku, 22, of Diamond Bar, who added that she had learned to properly use a hammer. "With the proper training, you can do anything."

The training comes at a time when 20 percent of recent home buyers were single females and 10 percent were single males, according to the National Association of Realtors. Between 1980 and 2000, the number of households headed by unmarried women increased by almost 10 million.

"I think that every woman should be able to wield a hammer and use power tools," said Lauren Callahan, 19, of Topanga, who was working on framing a house. "Women don't really get to use power tools or really be involved in the construction aspect ... so it's really great that we get to do some of the things that normally guys would take over."

A community vegetable garden was also in the works. Once completed, it will grow peppers, tomatoes, a pumpkin patch that will bear watermelons in the summer, and a few barbecue pits.

The garden is funded by a grant from Home Depot and landscaping services were donated by ValleyCrest Landscape Companies. The businesses also sent crews made up mostly of women.

They were deployed to various tasks: Some worked on the garden, while others built gates, framed houses, fashioned bricks or installed irrigation for trees.

"A lot of the times, a lot of people think `Oh, women aren't strong enough to lift heavy things or don't have the willpower to come out here and actually be in construction,"' said Bridgett Mills, 21, of Woodland Hills. "That's why a lot of women come out. I think they want to prove that they have the power to get into the actual building. They want to know that they have that skill."

The Women Empowerment Build lasts through Monday, but the group is always seeking volunteers.