Zahrah Hill, a foreman and plumber from the West Side, returned to her construction job three months after giving birth to her son and, as a breastfeeding mother, she didn’t have a space to safely express milk.
In a matter of months, female construction workers like Hill and others who lactate or menstruate won’t have that same problem under a state law Gov. JB Pritzker signed last month.
It’s the culmination of a legislative push in Springfield to make the state’s predominantly male construction industry embrace a new level of diversity that hasn’t existed since Chicago was credited as the place that invented skyscrapers.
Hill says that recognition is long overdue. She remembers how, as a new mom, she had to resort to desperate measures after going all day without pumping while on her job site.
“I was literally expressing milk into an old coffee cup and dumping it out the window on the way home,” she said. “Just mashing down on my breasts and dumping it out just to relieve some of the pressure.”
She said she eventually reached out to her superintendent, and started bringing her breast-pumping supplies and a mini-fridge to work.
“I came in every morning, and I plugged my refrigerator in so that it got nice and cold,” she said. “And, on my break, he would clear out of his office, and I would sit in his office and express milk.”
She said while she made it work, “I was, like, you know what, something’s got to give.”
According to a report from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, women make up just over 4% of the construction labor workforce nationally. In Illinois, the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis reported, nearly 253,000 construction industry jobs last month.
It’s evident that women make up a meaningful presence on construction worksites — and that presence is growing. In 2024, the number of women in construction hit a record high nationally, up by nearly 80% from 2015.
And it’s that part of the construction workforce that figures to benefit most from the new law, which advocates say could bring more women into the trades.
Starting in January, construction worksites with female workers and more than 10 employees will be required to provide accommodations for menstruation and lactation.
Illinois is the second state to adopt these requirements, which take effect in January. Washington did so in 2024.
“Construction sites historically haven’t necessarily been the most welcoming environments for many women,” said state Sen. Graciela Guzman, D-Chicago, who championed the legislation. “Bathrooms, in themselves, have been a potential tool for harassment or unequal treatment.”
Under the new law, employers will have to provide a designated women’s restroom with an internal lock, and women who are breastfeeding will be able to request a sanitary place to express milk.
Also, construction employers will have to provide a minimum of 10 menstrual products like tampons or pads, a refrigerator to store breast milk and running water to wash hands or breast-pumping equipment.
Chicago Women in Trades, an organization that works to eliminate barriers for women in the trade industry, brought the bill to Guzman. Beth Berendsen, the group’s policy director, said that, in addition to the accommodations, those who menstruate or lactate also will get adequate time to use the bathroom.
“It is a big challenge with women in construction often wearing many layers of clothing, especially in the winter time or under certain circumstances, to have to remove the layers of clothing to do what they need to do in the restroom,” she said.
Berendsen said some women reported not having easy access to a restroom while the men’s was easily reachable. They also say they face bullying for the time they spend in the bathroom.
“It’s different than what a lot of men do, and so they end up taking longer and can sometimes be punished for that,” she said.
Critics of the legislation cited concerns about the measures employers on job sites will have to provide and about how to provide accommodations on mobile worksites such as highways.
The National Federation of Business and Associated Builders and Contractors of Illinois opposed the legislation. Neither organization responded to requests for comment.
The law allows for exceptions. For instance, if there are temporary workers who menstruate or lactate and will be on site for only two days, employers don’t have to provide the otherwise-required accommodations. Workers who are lactating must request the accommodations they need, and employers can refuse under concerns of “undue hardship” — that is, if providing the accommodations would pose a safety risk or be disruptive or prohibitively expensive.
Berendsen said the costs should be minimal because there are so few women on worksites.
“One thing that we do hear from employers is about workforce shortages, and that really means we cannot be turning down half of the population when we need to hire for these jobs and these positions,” she said. “What we do know is that diverse and inclusive work sites produce better outcomes.”
Hill, 34, said she hopes the new requirements bring more women into the workforce.
“Guys, in general, just don’t think about things like these,” she said. “There are women on your job sites that are pregnant, will become pregnant and are mothers. We are not asking to show up to work for half the time and get the full pay. We’re just asking for small accommodations to make it better for us.”