“The odds are good but the goods are odd”

Construction Barbie spawned as a self deprecating remark I made when I showed up to work in the construction trailer wearing an aggressively pink cardigan, black pencil skirt, and black pumps. Being a fashion conscious girl is only one of the many obstacles/points of hilarity that have caused me to reflect on what its like to be in the gender minority in the workplace. Commercial real estate, especially real estate development, is not a job industry where women are the majority. We are not only the minority, but the drastic minority. As one of only two female developers at my company, I see the difference between the way men and women approach everything from hard-line business decisions, negotiations, and confrontation to the softer more personal issues such as dating, family relationships, birthday gifts, and all things in the middle. In this past year I have gained incredible insight in to this world which is not an easy or transparent world to navigate. Men are as complex as women so when your boss, coworker, or boyfriend says they don’t care, they are lying. Details and implementation are not their strong suit but they always have an opinion. I hesitate to become a faux soul-searching, Carrie Bradshaw wannabe so I will be writing about my own real experiences, stories, and observations as well as my friends who also share the same privilege (?) of working in other male-dominated industries as I do. These include the U.S. Navy, hedge funds, general medicine, commercial construction, biomedical engineering, and investment banking. Hope you enjoy the adventures of Construction Barbie and her friends (no, not Skipper and the gang – sorry to disappoint!)