ON FIELD

Several times I have to visit site to supervise the execution work and to guide the contractors, as an architect. In a construction project, architect is considered as the project head and the supreme authority to take decisions, of course next to the client. Yesterday when I visited the site, the situation was as usual, I was accompanied by 2 of my office juniors. We inspected the work in progress, discussed problem areas with the contractors and other workers, absolutely engrossed in work, 2 hrs passed by. When all the issues were discussed and my mind about to get itself free from the thoughts of work; I realized I was the only female present on the entire site and supposed to be the authority giving decisions to the group of 10-15 men present there. This situation is very common on construction sites. Most of the workers, supervisors, contractors in civil field are men. This also reminded me of some of my previous project’s meetings which used to be very huge in scale and at times I used to be the only lady in the site office’s meeting-hall full of 50-60 people. This doesn’t matter as far as work is concerned but small-small incidences especially with workers make me feel the difference. Most of the times these workers get fumbled at what to call me. Some, who are little smart get their way through with ‘madam’…but I have also come across ‘memsahib’ and once I was also called as ‘saheb’, as the poor fellow was used to call all the authority members by the same and was unaware of what to call a lady rather a girl with the same position! Another aspect making the difference is the various types of gazes. In most of the UP eyes there is struggle most of the times to adjust to the situation that they have to take orders and show respect to a female authority, than their usual habit of considering women dumb and of lower level. Some eyes display appreciation and a dream that someday even daughters from their homes may acquire similar position. Some gazes are better if shun, but of course with right message to warn them to behave. I wonder in my lifetime if I will ever come across a site where the situation is reverse, all the women executing a site! I think the work on such a site will be having less menace than what I see on most of the sites at present…or it won’t really make a difference….every system comes with its own set of pros and cons.