WOMEN IN DEEP FOUNDATIONS
DFI’s Efforts are a Success
The numbers are in and show that women are making
substantial ground in the deep foundations industry
Five years ago, as part of a five-year strategic plan,
the Deep Foundations Institute (DFI) launched the
Women in Deep Foundations (WiDF) Committee with
the goal “to enhance professional opportunities for
women in the deep foundations industry.”
As the current five-year plan comes to an end, the results
are in and show through measures of success (attendance,
technical contributions and roles, and leadership roles), the
committee is succeeding in its goal.
Prior to 2013, DFI did not track the number of women
attending and participating in the organization’s initiatives.
However, using available data, the increase of female members
of DFI’s other technical committees (not including WiDF
committee) from 2014 to 2019 is an astounding 816.67 per
cent (98 women in 2019, up from 12 in 2014). Another notable
increase, the number of female authors presenting at the DFI
Annual Conference has increased three-fold since 2016 (24
women in 2019, up from eight in 2016).
Through an expansive program of lectures, networking
receptions, professional development grants and workshops,
regional networking groups, industry-academia partnerships
and the coveted WiDF lanyard – available for purchase, proceeds
support WiDF initiatives – the committee has been able to
achieve this growth. It’s “not about calling anyone out, it’s
about calling everyone in.”
The successes of the last five years do not mark the end of
the need for programs such as the WiDF Committee. Rather
they should serve as a bold reminder to continue encouraging
more women to enter this industry. These successes signal
that change is occurring, but more still needs to be done; only
12 per cent of DFI Annual Conference attendees this year
were women.
Don’t let the name fool you, WiDF is open to women and
men who advocate for retaining women in the deep foundations
industry. Visit www.dfi.org for more information on the
WiDF Committee.
DFI Annual Conference
Year # Total % # Female Org # of
Women Attendees Women Comm Female
Members Authors
Chicago 2019 177 1169 12% 5 24
Anaheim 2018 116 1050 11% 4 12
New Orleans 2017 114 963 11.8% 7 15
NYC 2016 111 1096 10% 8 8
Oakland 2015 103 912 11% 7 9
Atlanta 2014 43 729 6% 1 7
Phoenix 2013 41 630 6.5% 3
DFI Technical Committees
Year Female Female Members of Other
WiDF Members DFI Technical Committees
2013
2014 12
2015 36 35
2016 40 43
2017 47 59
2018 55 75
2019 68 98
PILING CANADA 73
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