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does not matter whether that person is a man or a woman. What is important is the person’s capacity to be accepted for his or her knowledge, commitment, fexibility, and quick-thinking.

We found a similar story at the Madrid’s In-ternational Convention Center at the former Real Madrid sports grounds, next to the Cuatro Torres corporate complex. Once it is completed, it will become a reference bu-siness and cultural site in north Madrid, with several auditoriums, the largest of which can accommodate up to 4,000 people and which will be used for cultural and musical events, theatre, and other activities.

Belén Valero, head of project planning and programming works there. She is not, however, the only woman working there. Marta Cuesta and Emma Fernández are

production supervisors and planning assis-tants.

It is necessary to have a great ability to re-solve problems, Belén mentioned, and it is a source of great satisfaction, if there are no problems, nobody comes to see you and you also need to have a lot of capacity for work and know how to manage human teams.

Much remains to be done

The consensus among women working in construction is that gender is not impor-

tant but rather the personality, technical knowledge, and commitment.

The question then is, why is it that the pro-portion of women working in this sector s so small? Why are there so few women at project sites? It is not easy to answer these questions. Some of the causes frequently mentioned are harsh working conditions, diffculty in ftting in the work schedule, (projects require almost total dedication) with family life, or the fact that the criteria applied by some construction companies are conservative.

Whoever wishes to work in this industry must have self-confdence, the ability to adapt to different people and situations. People in this sector speak in a more direct fashion, if you cannot accept it, then you may be in the wrong place. This aspect, however, makes things easier in many ca-ses since your relations with others can be more direct, according to Karin Keglevich,

Women contribute intuition, the ability to reach consensus, and in some situations,

greater sensitivity

than men

Claudia Graber // Project manager Beska Bridge, Serbia.

Seven years working in the construction sector // An ALPINE employee since 2006 // Head of Project with a degree and Junior Project Manager // Studied Engineering // Speaks four languages.

On construction work: If you have the person in charge of the project on your side, you have already won half of the battle. Her experience in cons-truction is excellent and her backing is of great importance. To be successful, you need the entire team. For me, leadership means showing the way and assuming responsibility.

Her motto: Make possible what seems impossible, strive with dedication for your colleagues and defend the construction profession with passion.