Fresh Eyes: How the Increasing Role of Women in Construction and Development Can Unlock Hidden Value

Women in Construction Week, which just came to a close, offers an excellent opportunity to reflect on the growing representation of women in construction and development. Women are increasing their presence across roles in the industry, not just in the trades but also on the business side, as developers, project executives, capital partners, and the deal principals who shape what gets built, where, how, and for how much.

Despite these gains, women still face barriers to opportunities in a field built on networks, mentorship chains, and institutional cultures that have historically reproduced themselves within a narrow demographic band. That also means that businesses in our industry are not fully capitalizing on the significant value these contributors can deliver to companies and deals.

The “fresh eyes” that women and other underrepresented professionals can bring to construction and development work can translate into greater efficiency and innovation for the profession. Here are three ways this shift could deliver value:

Recognizing Opportunities to Improve Contracts

One of the most persistent inefficiencies in construction contracting is the normalization of suboptimal terms. Many standard contracts have looked more or less the same for years or decades. Terms that may actually warrant scrutiny get accepted because “that’s how it’s always been done.”

Someone coming to a deal without that accumulated pattern recognition is more likely to ask why. Why does the indemnification provision run one way? Why is this exclusion so broad? Why accept a liquidated damages cap that does not reflect anticipated losses? These are not naïve questions — they are the questions that may produce better contracts. Professionals who enter construction and development deal work from adjacent fields — finance, law, technology, urban planning — often bring exactly that outside-in perspective. They are less likely to accept things as they are and more likely to push for terms that actually serve their organization’s interests.

At its best, this dynamic could produce high-value renegotiation of deal terms, a measurable efficiency gain.

Identifying Risk With Enhanced Due Diligence

The same “fresh eyes” dynamic that may surface unfavorable contract terms can also apply earlier in the deal process, during underwriting and due diligence. Every development deal is built on a stack of assumptions: projected absorption rates, construction cost estimates, entitlement timelines, market comparables. Veterans of the industry develop intuitions about what those numbers should look like, and those intuitions are genuinely valuable. But they can also calcify into blind spots. Assumptions that have held up across past deals get carried forward without fresh examination, even when market conditions, regulatory environments, or project-specific facts warrant a harder look. Outside perspectives can help all sides of the deal challenge shared assumptions before they get baked into a pro forma. That skepticism, applied early, is exactly when it is most valuable — and least costly.

Reducing Friction Through Optimal Stakeholder Engagement

Development projects fail, or succeed well below their potential, for reasons that extend beyond financing and design. Community opposition, labor disputes, neighborhood conflict, and regulatory friction are among the most costly and least predictable variables a developer faces. They are also among the least systematically managed.

The traditional model of stakeholder engagement in construction and development can often be mostly reactive: Problems are not addressed until they become visible, and opposition is managed through legal and political channels. This approach works until it doesn’t, and when it fails, it fails expensively.

A substantial body of research (including this landmark study from MIT/Carnegie Mellon, which was replicated by this study a decade later) across industries finds that teams with greater gender diversity perform more strongly on tasks requiring interpersonal sensitivity, collaborative problem-solving, and communication across different stakeholder groups. These competencies determine whether a project moves efficiently through its entitlement process or spends years and significant resources in conflict. Women who step into project leadership and deal executive roles often bring stakeholder engagement frameworks developed in other industries or community contexts that the construction world has been slow to adopt. Earlier, more proactive engagement with affected communities, regulatory bodies, and partner organizations can compress timelines, reduce legal exposure, and protect the long-term value of a project’s community relationships.

The Takeaway for Industry Leaders

As our industry seeks ways to remain competitive, innovative, and resilient in a market that is growing ever more complex, companies that tap every available resource to power their deals and projects will be the winners. Women and others who did not come up through the industry’s traditional pathways bring a fresh perspective to their work and may be able to offer creative solutions and opportunities for substantial innovation.

Looking for high-value counsel on your latest construction project? Reach out to Suzanne Karbarz Rovner or another member of LP’s Real Estate Group.