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Standards Create Level Playing Field in Real Estate, for the Most Part

NEW YORK CITY-Two brokers share their personal experiences and observations with regard to the relation between women and minorities and the real estate industry. Both look at whether the mostly white male environment is by chance or by design.

By Amy Vaughn | Updated on February 28, 2001

NEW YORK CITY-The commercial real estate industry is predominantly male, and of those men, it is predominantly white. It begs the question: Is this by design or by chance? Both brokers who spoke with GlobeSt.com speculate that perhaps it is more out of habit and lack of exposure of the field in a wide variety of communities.

Diana Yurek of Sumitomo Real Estate Sales of New York Inc. and Greg Collins of Julien J. Studley are both brokers here and both work for prominent companies in the commercial real estate game. Both say a significant contributing factor to the small numbers of minorities and women in the business is simply a lack of interest on the part of these groups. Collins says, “Real estate brokerage, especially on the strategic tenant representation side, isn’t on most people’s maps for career choices of any ethnicity.” Yurek agrees saying she has noticed women don’t generally pursue careers in commercial real estate.

“There are quite a few women in residential, but not commercial,” she says. “I’d say only 5-10% in brokerage and sales are women, but in residential it’s about 22%.” She says that for her commercial was more exciting and as an alumnus of all-women’s Mt. Holyoke, she had been encouraged to actively pursue her goals and not be stopped by apparent obstacles such as the number of her fellow women in the field.

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