Colombia’s construction sector is a major economic engine that employs 1.67 million people. Statistics show that only 6.6% of construction workers are women. In Cali, women face a 9.5% unemployment rate versus the 6.2% for men, and are also paid less. Cali’s Secretariat of Infrastructure decided to embed gender inclusion directly into its Municipal Road Maintenance Operational Group. Rather than creating a different gender initiative, they established La cuadrilla rosa (The Pink Crew), Colombia’s first all-women road maintenance crew within existing municipal structures. 

The Pink Crew is composed mostly by Afro-descendant heads of household, many of them victims of the armed conflict, displaced people or migrants. They are formally hired and work on paving tasks, asphalt work, bridge inspection, rural roads and cycle infrastructure. The city also offers psycho-social support and specialization training toward certified, higher-paid technical roles. Male crews also receive support reagarding harassment prevention, turning infrastructure work itself into a platform for redistributing economic and symbolic power in the city.