I have been beyond frustrated with my job lately. I work at a geotechnical engineering and construction inspection firm, and there are 3 female employees on the technical side of the company. My position is civil/environmental engineer, but as a company with only 50 people, I work doing a little bit of everything that our company does. I also work as a project manager to some capacity.

I am treated fairly well by my coworkers and supervisors, they generally respect my opinion (especially people who are closer to my age ... late 20’s). However, the longer I work in the industry the more I hate it. I mean, obviously I have experienced some blatant sexism. I have experienced that a few times, but those times are easier to brush off because it is easy to single out that one individual who is being a jerk. It’s the pervasive and subtle ways that it happens. I hate that my client’s voices change on the phone when they realize they are talking to a women. I hate that people apologize to me for swearing (if you feel that swearing is inappropriate in any professional circumstance then you shouldn’t do it around anyone, and why are you singling me out as the person who needs to be apologized to?). I hate being mansplained to ALL the time. And that is just the beginning. I can’t make the same type of relationships that my male counterparts do with clients just because I am a woman.

I am struggling because I feel this profound sense of duty to stay with my engineering career for the sake of future women.. it’s not going to change unless there are more women in the industry asking to be treated better. And I feel heartbroken because I have worked the entirety of my adult life to do this, to be this... and I feel like it’s not worth it. I don’t want to sacrifice my health (mentally, and physically... long hours at a desk because I have to work harder than my male counterparts to prove myself) for this job, this industry.

Are there other women in the construction industry or within engineering that can offer some perspective?