Gender diversity in the workplace has improved greatly over the past few decades with fewer ‘traditional’ male and female roles than there were 20 or 30 years ago. The property industry has followed this trend, but unlike the residential sector, it appears the commercial sector remains very much a man’s world.
This is certainly the case in the Canadian city of Vancouver according to Anne Tanner, the vice president of commercial sales and leasing at Cushman & Wakefield. But she says, although women are still under- represented, they can succeed in today’s climate.
On the downside, Tanner explains, only four of the 80 brokers working in her firm’s Vancouver office are women.
Despite this, she insists there are opportunities for women in the industry. Tanner worked as an assistant before switching roles and moving into sales. This meant abandoning the security of a regular wage for the potential of making a higher income on commission.
In her case, the gamble was worth the risk. Ms. Tanner now runs Cushman & Wakefield’s Victoria office. And she encourages other women to pursue careers in the commercial sector.
Most women attracted to real estate as a career are drawn to the residential sector, perhaps because women tend to have a lot of pull in the decision-making process when choosing a home. In contrast, in commercial real estate, the clients are largely officers of corporations who tend to be men.
The industry is changing, Tanner says, in part due to the work being done by groups like Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW), which is a North American network made up of prominent women who perform a number of activities, including running outreach programs for female students. The organisation also offers a scholarship programme.
To be successful as a commercial real estate broker, Tanner believes, a woman will need to be very confident. She will also need to be prepared to take advantage of all networking opportunities available to her.
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