Mothers In Construction: A Podcast Like No Other
Some people love listening to podcasts, but I rarely do. To me it’s akin to listening to a long radio newscast, and where’s the music? The sports scores? So for me to devote time to listening to a podcast, the topic has to be extra special and the host has to be a speaker with whom I can connect.
Therefore I’m surprised to find myself hooked on the series of podcasts called “Mothers In Construction” or “M.I.C.” So many people will find each podcasts episode’s subject intriguing and touching: those who care about women’s issues (especially workplace and family), people in the construction, real estate and engineering industries, and those who are looking for a topic that is atypical but still mainstream. M.I.C. offers insight into a major industry and how it intersects with feminism, with family issues, with child development, and much more.
M.I.C. is hosted by Tonia Rivers, a Brooklyn native who has worked for many years in the construction industry and is the mother to three children. She has a sympathetic, knowing and rallying manner as she discusses various issues related to women who work in the construction field and who are mothers. She is an able and encouraging host who mixes so well with her guests.
So far M.I.C. has grappled with topics such as balancing demanding careers with childcare issues, how moms in construction deal with having a spouse in the military, and different job titles within the field (electricians, planners, engineers, building inspectors, etc.) Rivers focuses not only on women but also women of color who are involved in this field. She and her guests grapple with the biases against women and people of color.
Thus M.I.C. is not a podcast that is all sunshine and ease; the tough details and the grueling situations are explored. Tough pregnancies, workplace balance with family, hectic scheduling, juggling the needs of one’s children along with careers, and so much more are what Rivers and her guests delve into.
As you listen to the podcasts, you might also wonder how America is still really not prioritizing the needs of women and families. As much as politicians and corporate talking heads speak about their devotion to family values and children, you realize how empty these niceties are; as one mother here says “There’s no perfect balance.” But if our nation really cared about the lives of children, of women, and families, in general, we would make this “balance” easier to tackle. Why must women be made to feel so guilty about taking out time to heal from pregnancies, especially difficult pregnancies? Why must mothers who work be shamed for taking out time to attend IEP meetings for their children?
Rivers grew up in Brooklyn; she attended the well-regarded Philippa Schuyler Intermediate School 383 and Brooklyn Technical High School, one of the most prestigious high schools in New York City as well as the United States. East New York, the Brooklyn neighborhood in which she grew up, had its many urban problems, but “there were a lot of working class families and good parents such as mine that were good models for the children.” However, while she was growing up she didn’t know too many people who were involved in the technical end of construction and engineering. In fact, her older sister “wanted to be an engineer and she was cautioned against it.” But Rivers was very interested in the field, and when she attended Howard University, she devoted herself to studying STEM subjects to prepare for her career. She was particularly inspired by two female professors at Howard, Kathryn Prigmore and the late Barbara Laurie: “they taught me the importance of being a strong woman and always had high expectations of us, which prepared me for the expectations for women within the industry.”
Rivers and the women she has interviewed have encountered some key challenges in their fields: “being disrespected, underestimated and misrepresented” on the job, to their faces as well as indirectly. During the podcast episodes, most of which last about twenty five minutes, she and her guests discuss these issues and reveal how they deal with humor, introspection and occasionally frustration. Sometimes mothers in construction, and women in general, “come tagged with ‘having an attitude’ and it can be discouraging.” But Rivers and those she has interviewed for the podcasts have talked openly about how they push forward and find the whole process a learning experience.
With episodes titled “Introduction- Herstory,” “My Number One Project,” “Just Do It,” “It’s A Partnership,” and “I Stand Out”, she interacts very comfortably and knowledgeably with her guests, who have so far been female. They delve into workplace topics that are both universal and niche, and listeners can learn a lot about a major industry in ways that include technical data, made understandable to those who have less technical know-how.
Teamwork is a big part of the construction industry, as these women express over and over again. They talk about how they interact with the men and the women they encounter, and with people of all different skill levels and job titles. They have to overcome snobbery on various levels. They have to manage their time very precisely. But they are all glad to be in this industry and they are very happy about being mothers. Their children’s lives are of utmost importance, yet they also want to achieve a great deal in a field that is not always hospitable to the needs of working moms, especially if their children have special needs.
Rivers has three children, and she’s interviewed women who have one, two, three and even five children. They all hope to inspire other women to enter the field, via a variety of job titles, and they do hope to be role models for girls and young women who are intrigued by the industry.
Rivers also speaks about a few specific projects upon which she has worked. One very interesting project was her work in renovating the United States Capital! She worked on pieces “that had deteriorated, strengthened the stone, used rods (anchors)” and much more.
She became interested in developing a podcast series because she finds it more interactive and lively than writing a blog, and she is certainly cultivating those aspects in her interviews and discussions. The logo for her podcasts is a the helmeted silhouette of a woman, with a child inside the face. M.I.C. is a catchy name and to the point, descriptive without flourish. (And it reminds us of the mic (microphone) she uses in her podcasts.) “YOU CAN” be a woman in construction and a mother as well, is her primary message. And as you listen to the episodes of this series, you realize that if SHE CAN, YOU CAN as well.
I’m glad to have been introduced to this podcast series; women (and men too!) will enjoy it.
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Awesome article and well written, the podcast is a success. More importantly the message is being received by those who need it. Keep doing GREAT THINGS!