The hard life of a female construction worker

Although it was past 11am and the scorching summer sun was intense and hot, it was not difficult to see women carrying bags of cement, carrying sand, and mixing mortar at construction sites in Anh Son district.

At the housing construction site for residents in block 2 of the town, Ms. Nguyen Thi Quy in village 3, Hoi Son commune is still busy carrying the last buckets of mortar to cook lunch for her children.

Carefully stepping down from the scaffolding, her face covered in dust, dirt, rocks and cement, gently removing her mask, Ms. Quy sighed: "I'm so tired, but I have to try because of my food and clothes, because for women, this job is very hard."

Every day, Ms. Nguyen Thi Quy in village 3, Hoi Son commune is paid 250,000 VND from her job as a construction worker. Photo: Thai Hien

Sitting against a corner of the wall to rest, amidst the noise of the concrete mixer, Ms. Quy confided: Because she has worked for many years and has been with this contractor for a long time, she is paid 250,000 VND per day, which is enough to cover her living expenses. Being exposed to the sun all year round, being friends with sand, gravel, and cement, sometimes she thinks she is no different from a man. Her biceps are big from carrying heavy loads, her hands are calloused, her face is dark from the sun and wind. Although it is hard and tiring, she feels happy because it is an honest job, earning money from her own labor.

With nearly 10 years of experience in this profession, and only over 45 years old, Ms. Tran Thi Lan in Tuong Son commune looks older than her age. Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she chatted with us while working hurriedly for fear of not having enough mortar for the masons.

Ms. Tran Thi Lan is using a pulley to lift the lake up for the workers. Photo: Thai Hien

Ms. Lan confided: Her family does not have much land for farming or raising livestock, so she chose...construction workerthis. After so many years in the profession, she can't remember how many houses, buildings, and schools she has worked as a construction worker. All day long, her face is dirty with dust, rocks, and cement, surrounded by the noisy sounds of drills and concrete mixers, but over time, she gets used to it.

According to Ms. Lan, working as a construction worker is now much less difficult than before. Before, I had to carry mortar and bricks, climb up and down until I was out of breath, and when I got home, my limbs were exhausted. But now, there are winches to go up high, and there are machines to mix mortar and concrete, so it is less tiring. This job depends a lot on the weather. It is better in the dry season because the working day is still relatively enough. But at the beginning of the rainy season, if I do well, I can only get about 20-25 working days/month at most. Currently, each day, a construction worker like her is paid from 200,000-250,000 VND. Each month, if she works hard for 30 consecutive days, she can earn about 6 million VND. Thanks to this job, it also helps rural women like her have an additional source of income, contributing to covering family living expenses.

Mr. Nguyen Hong Minh - a construction contractor in Hoi Son commune (Anh Son) shared: For daily bread and clothing, many women now work as construction workers. He currently has 2 teams of workers, including 4 women. Due to the nature of the work, most construction projects need women, because they not only serve the brick, brick, and steel workers during the work process, but also prepare mid-morning meals for the entire team. Every day, both main workers and construction workers work 8 hours. The income of construction workers is paid from 200,000 - 250,000 VND/day depending on the nature of the work. With such an income, they can partly take care of their family's life.

Walking around the construction sites in Anh Son district, in the scorching summer sun, where the works are under construction, the women are still busy with their daily work, from carrying water, sifting sand, gravel, carrying stones, bricks, mixing mortar to climbing scaffolding to pour floors. Most of the women who choose to work as construction workers are middle-aged, because at their age, it is difficult to get a job in companies and businesses.

Working hard from morning to night every day, they earn 200,000 - 250,000 VND. Photo: Thai Hien

According to the confessions of many women in the profession, the construction worker job does not require skills and techniques like many other jobs, but it requires women to have good health, the ability to withstand harsh weather and grasp the work they will do, estimate the work of the construction team in advance to prepare materials in time... In addition to the sun and rain, the hard labor exhausts the health of the women, the working environment is also very complicated, exposed to noise, dust, and unsanitary conditions. Then incidents such as tripping over iron and steel, falling bricks causing bleeding, swelling of the head... are normal, but for the sake of making a living, the women have to "risk" doing this hard work.

The construction worker job requires women to have good health and the ability to endure harsh weather. Photo: Thai Hien

Looking at their sunburnt faces, their calloused hands, their sweaty backs… and the women standing precariously on the scaffolding but still smiling, we could feel the danger, hardship but also their optimism and love of life. Despite the hardships and difficulties, they overcame everything with their own determination, along with the hope for a bright future for their children and family./.