The fight to increase women's representation in construction jobs could face serious setbacks under Trump’s administration. Tradeswomen have spent years fighting to secure their place in the skilled trades, but now they are taking legal action against the government over its DEI policies.

For decades, women have been working tirelessly to make a space for themselves in the construction workforce, which has long been dominated by men due to discrimination and sexual harassment. Across the country, they have formed networks to gain recognition, with the National Association of Women in Construction, created in 1953 by a group of women in Fort Worth, Texas, being one of the first examples. Over the years, they collaborated with unions and set up nonprofits in various states, such as Oregon, Wisconsin, Vermont, Florida, and Chicago, advocating for issues such as addressing hostile workplace environments and the lack of childcare options for early shifts.

The government established policies to ensure federal contractors recruited and hired diverse workforces. The Biden administration, in particular, has been a significant ally, said Jayne Vellinga, executive director of Chicago Women in Trades (CWIT). Under Biden, the Commerce Department set a goal of bringing one million women into construction jobs, requiring recipients of federal grants for semiconductor manufacturing to include childcare plans, and passing laws to boost infrastructure, which created demand for skilled labor.

“It was the perfect storm of opportunity and funding to expand their programming to bring more women into the workforce,” Vellinga said. “Our placement numbers have never been higher.” But when Donald Trump returned to the White House, the momentum came to an abrupt halt. In his inauguration speech, Trump vowed to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and promote a color-blind, merit-based society. He signed two executive orders declaring DEI policies to be immoral and illegal, aiming to pull back federal funding.

Just two days after his inauguration, CWIT learned that all of its federal grants were under review. These grants account for 40% of CWIT’s budget, and losing them would put the future of their programs at risk.

“We have complete whiplash,” Vellinga said.

Trump’s tariffs also disrupted the construction industry, leading to project slowdowns and reducing the demand for workers, Vellinga explained.

The nonprofit, with a predominantly Black and Latina female base, offers pre-apprenticeship training on workplace safety and technical skills. It works with unions and industry leaders to promote discrimination-free environments and educates employers on creating more inclusive workplaces for women.

This effort is crucial in an industry where one in four women report frequent harassment, and one in five LGBTQ+ workers face the same challenges, according to the Institute for Women’s Policy and Research. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's 2023 report showed that discrimination continues to plague the industry, with many employers failing to hire individuals based on their gender or race.

But that report has now been removed from the website, and Vellinga believes that the truth about who faces discrimination is being erased. “This narrative that women are taking jobs away from more qualified people has never been true. They are qualified and just asking companies to overcome whatever biases to give them a fair shot,” she said.

In February, CWIT filed a lawsuit against the administration and several agencies, including the Department of Labor, challenging the constitutionality of the DEI executive orders. The lawsuit also argues that the clawback of federal funds is outside the Executive Branch's authority and infringes on their First Amendment right to free speech.

“What the Trump administration is trying to do is say that for you to receive this federal funding you have to adopt the administration’s viewpoint that DEI is impermissible, and you have to agree with our political agenda,” said Gaylynn Burroughs, a lawyer from the National Women’s Law Center, which is representing CWIT in court. “The government is not allowed to do that.”

Law professor Catherine Fisk of the University of California, Berkeley, explained that the orders inhibit constitutionally protected speech and could lead to legal consequences for organizations that cannot clearly understand what actions are prohibited. “That is both a First Amendment violation that is broadly prohibiting advocacy and a due process violation,” she said. “The government is threatening to punish people without being clear of what they are being punished for.”

The 19th reached out to the Department of Labor, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Department of Justice, but did not receive a response by press time.

Burroughs emphasized that promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion is not illegal, and the executive orders are attacking core American values. “When you peel it back, what we’re really talking about is the ability for people to not be discriminated against,” she said. “We do a disservice when we’re saying that it’s an attack on DEI. It’s an attack on civil rights, on workplace anti-discrimination.”

She continued: “The message that is being conveyed is, if you are not a white heterosexual man, and you are in public life, or you are in a job where you are successful, that you must have gotten there because of some unfair advantage, and that is really a poisonous way of thinking.”

Trump's administration also rescinded an executive order from 1965, which prohibited federal contractors from discriminating in hiring and required affirmative actions to recruit women and people of color. These taxpayer-funded jobs should be accessible to qualified individuals, and in some cases, providing targeted opportunities for women to learn skills is necessary due to historical exclusion from such roles.

Jenny Yang, former director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) under Biden, said the agency’s audits have led to significant changes in workplace practices, including identifying safety issues and addressing harassment. “Having an OFCCP investigator auditing those practices is what often catalyzes change because workers see that the federal government is there,” she said.

The agency also helped correct pay discrimination, recovering $261 million for workers and job seekers from 2014 to 2024. This amount benefited over 250,000 employees and applicants, including about 25,000 White people and men who were victims of discrimination. “Our anti-discrimination laws protect everyone,” Yang said.

But now, the agency is facing cuts, with reports suggesting the Department of Labor plans to lay off 90% of staff. The rescission of the executive order means that the focus will now be limited to veterans and people with disabilities.

“The rescission of the executive order will have devastating consequences for workers and especially for women in the trades, many who have said they wouldn’t have an opportunity to support their families because of the discrimination many women face in that industry,” Yang said.

Vellinga highlighted that without these protections, women will lose opportunities, especially considering the wage gap between traditionally female jobs and male-dominated roles. She pointed to the example of certified nursing assistants, most of whom are women, earning a median wage of $40,000, while carpenters, a male-dominated field, earn $61,000 on average.

“With a loss of protections and a reluctance from employers to engage in DEI initiatives, those opportunities for women will just dry up,” she said. Her organization’s ability to bridge this gap will be severely hindered.

“If their federal funds are canceled, they won’t be able to offer as many trainings, they won’t be able to work with employers to create workplaces free of discrimination and harassment, and they won’t be able to do as much outreach to educate women and girls that these opportunities even exist in the first place,” Vellinga said.

“For an organization who has spent decades trying to change a culture, we are still so far from the finish line,” Vellinga said. “It is really incredible that you could not acknowledge that reality.”

Originally reported by Jessica Kutz in Rhode Island Current.