Home construction is considered a man’s world. But is it exclusively? As we worked with multiple brands related to home construction, we got a close look at the family dynamics in home building. There is a quiet change underway, with women getting more involved in home construction at various stages in the process.
Women have always been involved in home construction, managing workers, monitoring supplies and keeping the work going. What is changing is the way they are influencing decisions on timing, brands, people and more.
Women today are actively involved in house construction, from planning and budgeting to influencing brand selection, daily work schedules, labour management, material safeguarding and more. They are the project’s watchful eyes and ears, ensuring quality and progress at every step.
Our visits across the country last year were eye opening. A single woman in a village in Punjab was building her house. On the surface, it looked like her male relatives were managing the show for her. As we sat talking to the lady, her brothers and nephews came in (uninvited) to explain the process and technicalities of homebuilding. She listened to them and as they left she turned to us and said quietly, “They talk. We take the decisions and get the work done!”
Then there was a retired couple that built a large house in Nagpur. This was their legacy and they were incredibly proud of it. The entire project was driven by the lady, from conception to completion. She told us how they changed the architect and contractor because they would only talk properly to the man of the house!
Brand teams tend to think that women’s influence is limited to the aesthetics of the house. However, women are taking decisions on multiple aspects of home building, beyond just choosing tiles and paint colors.
Brands will do well to acknowledge the changing role of women in traditionally male areas like home construction. Paint brands have embraced the idea of home decor being a family affair, often led by women of the house. Brands in categories such as cement need to acknowledge this shift too. This will have implications not just on communication but also products and services. It might also add excitement and open up new avenues for innovation in often dull and seemingly commodity categories!
