You’ll Never Make It

It’s one of the first things women hear in this industry, and it’s rarely said quietly. No whisper. No hesitation. Just a blunt statement, delivered straight to their face: “You’ll never make it.” It happens on day one. Sometimes before they’ve even started. No one asks what they know, what they’ve done, or why they’re there. The decision’s already been made. And the message is clear. This isn’t the place for you.

You’d think it would be rare. A one-off. But

it’s not. Ask around, and you’ll hear the same story told by women across the country. Different sites, different crews, same line. It’s spoken with a shrug or a laugh, but it lands the same way every time. There’s no curiosity. No interest in what she brings. Just a moment designed to knock her off balance. To plant the seed that she doesn’t belong before she’s even had the chance to show what she’s capable of.

And that moment matters. Because from that point on, the job changes. She’s no longer just learning the trade. She’s navigating the pressure of having to prove she deserves to be there at all. Every mistake feels heavier. Every win has to be bigger. Every set of eyes on her isn’t watching to help. They’re watching to measure. Waiting to confirm what they think they already know.

 But here’s the part of the story that doesn’t get told enough: a lot of women do make it. They hear the comment. They feel the doubt. And they keep showing up. Not because they’ve got something to prove, but because they know they’re capable. They stay long enough to get good. They work hard, learn fast, ask the right questions, and back themselves, even when no one else does. And eventually, they find their feet. They become the person others turn to. They start shifting the way things are done.

That’s the real story here. Not just the dismissal, but what happens next. The quiet, determined choice to stay. The pride in doing a job well. The resilience it takes to keep showing up, even when the welcome wasn’t warm. And the ripple effect that starts when one woman makes it through the door and leaves it open behind her.

You can say it as loud as you like. “You’ll never make it.” We’ve heard it before. We heard it on day one, and sometimes on day two, and three, and every day after that from people who thought their opinion was law. But here’s what they missed. We’re still here. We’re still showing up. We’re still learning, leading, paving, building. We’re not the exception. We’re not a diversity hire or a PR moment. We’re workers. Tradespeople. Crew mates. And we’re not just making it. We’re shaping what this industry becomes. Every woman who walks onto a site deserves to be judged by the work she does, not the assumptions made before she lifts a finger. So say what you want. We’ll keep showing what’s possible. And maybe, just maybe, the next time a woman starts her first day, the only thing she hears is, “Let us know if you need a hand.”

Amarapave crew paving a new road for Brimbank City Council

Written By: Ash MacMahon; Field Director Amarapave