When Channel Ten’s game show, Family Feud, came under fire recently for asking people to “name something people think is a woman’s job”, it got me thinking.

The top responses from the 100 people surveyed answered – cooking (28%), cleaning (17%), nursing (13%), hairdressing (7%), domestic duties (5%), dishes (4%), receptionist (4%) and washing clothes (3%) – painting a picture of Australia that was right out of the 1950s.

So, I thought I’d contact some of the talented, accomplished women in the highly-competitive and fast-paced property and construction industry to find out their view on the matter. These women work on challenging and complex projects that are changing the shape of Canberra. I asked them to name a job for women.

Architect was the response from Cassandra Keller, who as the owner of the Clarke Keller architectural firm, works on projects ranging from heritage refurbishments to retirement communities and schools.

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“I like the variety of my work – from designing athletic track ‘photo finish’ towers to researching technical solutions for complex concrete roof systems,” Cassandra says.

“I lead a team of local engineers, and work closely with some of Canberra’s top builders to create a finished building that is practical and artistic.”

As the ACT and Southern NSW Manager for GHD, Jo Metcalfe spends less time rolling up her sleeves to do the dishes than she does managing large teams of people delivering complex projects such as region-saving pipelines and dams, sewage and water treatment plants, road duplications and some of the most important buildings in the city and nation.

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“They’re not all easy, sexy or glamorous projects – but they are real, needed and have a lasting benefit for the region,” Jo says.

General Manager of Kone Elevators for Canberra and South West NSW, Claudia Tong demonstrates that a ‘woman’s job’ is managing people. She spends much of her time on site with members of her 60-strong team and working with customers to help deliver spectacular buildings for the Canberra community. For Claudia, the best part of her job is “the constant interaction with people”.

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As a quantity surveyor and Director with Rider Levett Bucknall, Fiona Doherty provides cost estimates and sets realistic budgets for multi-billion dollar construction projects. According to Fiona, her job requires an “excellent understanding of the most economic ways to achieve project outcomes with creative problem solving abilities and well-honed people management skills.”

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Finally, Louise Morris is a property developer who prides herself on her work to keep our city growing and evolving. As Director of Morris Property Group, a typical day for Louise is “a rich tapestry of problem solving, negotiation, facilitation, promotion and too much email.”

[pe2-image src=”http://lh6.ggpht.com/-3rxIm2pPcKk/VFd22UklgaI/AAAAAAAAKo8/AJoUw8qij7A/s144-c-o/Louise%252520Morris.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/108454826374315674707/NameAWomanSJob#6077456897766949282″ caption=”Louise Morris – Property Developer for Morris Property Group.” type=”image” alt=”Louise Morris.jpg” pe2_img_align=”center” pe2_caption=”1″ ]

Louise works closely with government, designers and architects, engineers, builders, surveyors, agents and valuers, graphic artists, creative directors, marketing executives, lawyers, accountants, neighbours, community councils, special interest groups and her clients. With such a large number of stakeholders to manage, there isn’t much time for ironing!  In fact, Louise is at pains to point out that the breakdown of chores in her house is not based on a gendered division of labour, but on “efficiency, so the person with the comparative advantage in a task gets to do it.”

So, while Family Feud can keep thinking that a woman’s job is cooking and cleaning, woman all over Canberra are helping to build our city, and a permanent legacy.  As Jo Metcalfe says, “I love the idea of being a part of something that will outlast me.”

I do too.