Platform on civil engineering, underground infrastructure, energy, construction equipment & construction machinery
A statement from Ruth Huisman-de Graaf, director and co-owner at De Klerk Werkendam. "I was born into a traditional family structure almost 40 years ago," Ruth opens the conversation. "Father worked, mother took care of the family. My father was already working for De Klerk back then, and I remember well how nice it was to go with him when he had to go somewhere for work. Then we would stand on a lock together and I enjoyed what he knew how to tell about it."
Ruth outlines how in her high school days the choice of profile went: "We had to orient ourselves to the future. Soon I ended up with a technical profile. With that I was able to apply to a college study in Civil Engineering after the exam."
Ruth continues her story, "I remember well that I was the only young woman at that school. Not that that was difficult for me, but it was sometimes difficult for teachers. I had a conversation with one of them at the time about the different dynamic that exists in a class full of young men with a young woman in between. The teacher in question noticed that men behave differently among themselves when a woman is present, in a positive sense. He noticed this more than I did, but it did make me think."
Gradually, Ruth realized that networking with women makes sense if you are a woman pursuing a career. "Roughly speaking, you can say that as a woman you are treated differently in a world where men are in the majority. That led me to join Top Women Construction & Infra, Nina van Arum's network. There I discovered that as women you can strengthen and inspire each other. You have the same kind of energy. That network is enormously valuable for women."
We talk again about college days. "Civil Engineering was a fun course for me. In the 3rd year of my studies, I was just doing my first internship, I was suddenly faced with a surprise: I turned out to be pregnant. Suddenly the topic of 'family life' came into the picture, not the start I had envisioned. Choices had to be made, fortunately I enjoyed tremendous support from the home front so I could quickly make the right choice. I went for it, for both child and education, with help from home. At the time of delivery I was doing my 2nd internship, at De Klerk. I interrupted this internship to focus on giving birth at my mother and father's home. Five weeks after the birth of our oldest daughter (she is now 20 years old) I was then able (still within the regular study time) to finish my internship at De Klerk."
Ruth outlines how easy it would have been to just sit at home after giving birth. "However, I was encouraged and inspired to do something with my abilities anyway. After my internship, I stayed with De Klerk and got my first permanent job in 2001, as a calculator/work planner. It was an intensive period of learning, working and gaining experience. I was really able to make the trade my own," says Ruth.
Over the years, Ruth noticed a shift toward more integrated working. Ruth: "I then delved more into the legal side and less into the technical practice. In 2006 I got the opportunity to become a shareholder; two years ago I was allowed to take the director's chair as co-owner." Were there things you wanted to change immediately when you became a director, we ask. Ruth answers, "You can't radically change the wheel as a brand-new director. We were already moving in a different direction, with a strong focus on ICT, legal affairs, HRM and security. All things subject to steady change."
For Ruth, HRM is an important aspect, we learn. "After all, that's where you can accomplish things that directly affect people's well-being. We have hired an HRM officer, together we look at how our employees are doing. In doing so, we pay a lot of attention to the soft side, to the well-being of our people. I think that's where an important plus comes out of being a woman having something to say in a man's world. Sometimes you have to classify people differently at work, then you look not only at their competencies, but also at their social role within a group. I realize that even the toughest male employee is also a human being who knows joys and sorrows and has a family at home waiting for him."
There is a movement going on within the industry that has not gone unnoticed by Ruth either. "More and more men want to get rid of that stereotypical image that everything has to be tough and hard. They also like to see the soft side make its appearance in our sector. By daring to be vulnerable you can initiate that change. As women, we are good at that and we can set an example from our positions. Showing that making yourself vulnerable does not harm you, but can actually give you strength."
"My question to the new generation of dads is whether they realize that they can take more responsibility in raising their children than their fathers did. If you want to work part-time, we'll work with you on that, no matter how difficult it is sometimes. Pursuing diversity is not always easy, but it makes the whole thing better. In the office, that revolution is already happening; outside, it is slowly getting underway. Everything starts with not making things more complicated than they already are, not thinking in terms of problems. Questions that arise during the process are answered on the go. A lot is possible if both sides are willing to cooperate. The past has brought much to the Hydraulic Engineering sector, but the future demands a different approach. More diversity is going to help with that."
