When did the building of affordable housing become a gender issue?

When did the building of affordable housing to those in need become a gender issue?

Why am I asking this question you ask? Well on FaceBook today, where I am a fan of Habitat for Humanity, I received a notification about Lowe's sponsored "Women Build week." I followed the link back hoping to find that this idea was initiated by Lowe's as a promotional stunt but instead found an entire division of Habitat devoted to the "women build" program that traced it's history back 20 years. I am surprised and very disappointed to learn that an organization that I have participated with since I was in high school is not as egalitarian as I had presumed.

The Women Build FAQ pages address this issue as such:

"Does Habitat promote feminist issues?
We believe that decent, affordable housing is not a feminist issue. It is a quality of life and basic human dignity issue facing families everywhere.

The Women Build department of Habitat for Humanity International has one mission: empower women to take action against poverty housing conditions. The more people we can train to become effective volunteers, the better equipped we will be to fight poverty housing. Women Build brings together women from all walks of life to address in a concrete way the housing crisis facing millions of women and children across the globe.

Women Build is not about excluding men [except apparently in the preceding sentence]. It is about including women and opening new doors of opportunity. Men are often involved in our training programs and build projects in supportive roles and as subcontractors when women from the necessary trades are not available."

While I agree with the first paragraph of this statement, the rest is a non sequitur. If you desire more people to be trained to become effective volunteers, shouldn’t we be “empowering” women and men? If we value inclusiveness, then shouldn’t we bring together women and men from all walks of life? My experiences with working on Habitat builds consisted of working alongside women and men, from young teens to retired seniors and they are some of the most rewarding experiences of my life. It baffles me why Habitat seeks to prevent men from participating in some of their builds. The most disconcerting part of this statement is the omission of men in the list of those effected by the housing crisis.

But wait, there’s more! Through the Women Build page I have found that Habitat also has a “Girls Build” program targeted towards preteen girls. In the following statement explaining the importance of Girls Build, could you please explain to me why this statement applies to our daughters but not to our sons?

“The Importance of Girls Build
Today’s girls face pressures from peers and society that are different fro those of just a generation ago. Making the right decisions in the face of these influences can be difficult for any girl. For girls growing up in lower socio-economic conditions, the pressures and the risks are much greater.

Girls Build provides a fun learning environment to builds girls’ confidence in making successful decisions about their future. Girls Build is also a great way to involve girls who want to get involved in Habitat’s ministry in some way but are not yet old enough to work on a build site.”