The flooring industry has made progress when it comes to women’s visibility—but visibility is not the same as equity, influence or long-term, meaningful opportunity. As the industry heads into 2026, women across every segment of flooring are asking sharper, more specific questions: What’s actually working? What’s still broken? And what needs to change if this industry wants to attract, retain and advance the next generation of female leaders?
This conversation is no longer about “having a seat at the table.” It’s about whether the table itself is built to last.
There is no denying the industry looks different than it did even a decade ago. More women are leading divisions, running sales organizations, shaping product strategy and influencing major business decisions. Industry events are more inclusive—mostly. Panels are more representative—sometimes. Mentorship—both formal and informal—has become more common, and many women credit sponsors who actively advocated for their advancement rather than simply offering advice.
Perhaps most importantly, women in flooring are talking to each other more openly than ever before. Peer networks, informal roundtables and industry groups have created spaces for shared experience and support—places where challenges are acknowledged rather than minimized.
This isn’t about celebrating women for being women or for existing in the flooring industry. It’s about listening to women who are running businesses, building products, leading teams and shaping strategy—and asking what’s not working and what they actually need from the industry next.
Here is one of those conversations:
1. MSB: When you look at the flooring industry today, what’s one thing that’s genuinely working for women that wasn’t five or 10 years ago?
Kaye Whitener, executive director, FCEF
Women’s voices are finally being taken seriously in leadership and operational conversations—not just in marketing or support roles. Five or ten years ago, women were often included at the table but not truly listened to. Today, more women are being asked to weigh in on strategy, workforce development and business decisions, which is real progress. At the same time, we’re seeing more women enter the industry overall, helped in part by the broader women in construction movement.
Lori Kisner, managing partner, Market Maker Event
There’s finally recognition that women’s natural strengths—style, design, trendspotting and understanding how products perform in the home—directly drive sales. Retailers and manufacturers are leaning on women more than ever to identify what will actually move on showroom floors. Decision-makers are starting to see that a woman’s perspective is not a “nice to have,” but a revenue advantage.
Laure Voit, president, Great Western Flooring, Naperville, Ill.
Women have such a different presence in the industry today than we did ten years ago. We have purposeful networks like WiFi and Power that provide support and mentorship. Our industry has also become much more fashion driven and I think once the marketing arms of the manufacturers identified their consumers as female, there was a whole different layer of engagement for women working within the industry.
Cheryl Acierno, owner, Acierno & Company
I think it has been working for women for quite a while. Some of the most successful salespeople I have met are women. There are areas where they can outperform their male counterparts with some skills that may be considered more “feminine,” i.e. selling by listening, which we’re great at. Being able to manage complexity, and as we all know, floorcovering is a complex industry. Women excel at juggling many variables like fit, durability, budget, etc., and can guide customers through decisions without overwhelming them. Many women collaborate more than compete and are driven more by relationships than just transactions.
Olga Robertson, president, FCA Network
There are many more successful female owner operators—some very talented second generation business owners, and many more female entrepreneurs, young, talented hard-working women.
2. What’s one issue women still don’t talk about openly enough?
Whitener
Compensation inequity—and the long-term cost of carrying more than our share of the work. Women are often paid less than men for the same level of responsibility and results, while also being expected to absorb invisible labor—fixing problems, supporting teams and holding organizations together without recognition. Over time, that combination leads to burnout, but many women stay quiet because they don’t want to appear ungrateful or difficult. Until we address both fair pay and how value is truly measured, that cycle won’t change.
Kisner
How often they are expected to “prove” their credibility in a male-dominated segment. Women still second-guess whether they’re being heard for their expertise or being judged on how they “fit” in the room. Many of us navigate this quietly instead of calling it what it is—unnecessary friction that slows progress.
Voit
One issue that we don’t talk openly about is that this is still predominantly a male industry. Most executive leadership for manufacturers is male, most of our builder/contractor customers are male and most of our skilled labor is male. We sometimes get left out of the conversation because we weren’t on the golf course or perhaps we might have a great understanding of something technical in the field but we get a sideways look because our fingernails are painted. This might be an unpopular thing to say, but this is still a daily reality.
Robertson
The fact that the women’s movement, which started back in the late 60s, the “burn your bra” era’s campaign slogan was “equal pay for equal work.” Well, they are still falling short. Also, women still have a difficult time asking for a raise, even today. It’s what I call a crisis of confidence.
3. Where do you see women getting stuck most often in this industry—and why?
Whitener
Women often get stuck at the “trusted fixer” level. They’re reliable, capable and consistent—and that can work against them. The industry values execution, but leadership requires more than doing the work well; it requires vision, strategy and the willingness to take calculated risks. If women don’t intentionally position themselves as leaders—not just problem-solvers—they can be overlooked for advancement.
Kisner
Women often get stuck between being the go-to problem solver and being seen as a true strategic leader. Because women naturally take on details, communication and coordination, they can become the person who “keeps things running,” instead of the person tapped for higher-level roles. It’s not a lack of ability—it’s a tendency for organizations to reward women for execution rather than promote them for vision.
Robertson
Sometimes we are our own worst enemy. We look at a job description and if we don’t have every skill necessary, we don’t apply for the position. A man will look at the job description and say, “What the heck, I know two of the 10 and will apply. I’ll figure it out!!”
Acierno
It’s changing, but I think many women don’t consider careers in construction because it feels male dominated and maybe just not “sexy” enough.
4. Have you ever felt there was an unspoken rule about how women are expected to lead or show up here?
Whitener
Yes. There’s still an expectation that women should be agreeable, flexible and make things easier for others. Directness and decisiveness can be misinterpreted when it comes from women. I’ve learned that leadership isn’t about meeting unspoken expectations—it’s about taking responsibility, making decisions and owning outcomes, even when that makes people uncomfortable.
Kisner
Yes—women are often expected to be assertive, but never too assertive. Friendly, but not too friendly. Confident, but not “intimidating.” Men don’t navigate those same emotional guardrails.
Voit
Definitely. The first thing that comes to mind is America Ferrara’s monologue in the Barbie movie. She nailed it. We are in such a juxtaposition of expectations: strong, but don’t be threatening. Feminine but fit in with the boys. Assertive but don’t be mean. Oh, and perfectly balance motherhood and career. However, something very cool is that women in our industry are coming together now like they haven’t done in decades past and the sisterhood we are building provides the grace we all need to be impactful, understood and successful.
5. Do you think women are asked to do more ‘invisible work’ in this industry? If so, what does that look like?
Whitener
Yes. Women are often expected to take on the unseen work—mentoring others, managing morale, resolving conflict and keeping teams functioning smoothly. That work has real value, but it’s rarely measured, compensated or acknowledged. Over time, that imbalance can limit advancement if women aren’t intentional about making their impact visible.
Kisner
Absolutely. Women often manage relationship-building, internal communication, organizing teams, onboarding, emotional labor and keeping projects on track behind the scenes. It’s work that makes companies run smoothly but rarely shows up on an org chart—or in bonus structures.
6. What’s the difference between mentorship and sponsorship in this industry—and do women get enough of the latter?
Whitener
Mentorship offers guidance; sponsorship offers opportunity. Sponsors advocate for you when you’re not in the room and use their influence to open doors. Women receive plenty of advice in this industry, but not enough true sponsorship. If we want women in real leadership roles, advocacy has to increase—not just encouragement.
Kisner
Mentorship is guidance. Sponsorship is advocacy. Mentors talk to you. Sponsors talk about you—in the rooms where decisions are made. In flooring, women have more mentors now than ever, but sponsorship is still lacking.
Voit
Great question—mentors help someone grow through sharing their experience, advice and knowledge while sponsors help someone advance by using their influence. Both are important but I certainly think that women are under sponsored in our industry. Sponsorship closes the gap between advice and access.
Acierno
Leadership development is deliberate, where representation is passive. Leadership development focuses on inputs—what experiences, decisions and risks people are trusted with. Visibility without authority doesn’t create leaders.
7. What helped you advance the most in your career—and what almost held you back?
Acierno
What helped me most was strong mentorship, hands-on training and a mindset that failure wasn’t an option. I focused on consistent effort and forward motion, even in difficult times.
Whitener
What helped me most was learning to take 100% responsibility for my decisions and outcomes. What almost held me back was trying to do everything instead of delegating early on.
Kisner
What helped was realizing I didn’t need to lead like a man to be effective. Leaning into natural strengths changed everything.
Robertson
My competitive nature and desire to learn more and be more. Lack of self-esteem can hold you back.
Voit
Growing through challenges, asking for help and strong mentorship helped me most. Balancing kids and work almost held me back.
8. What’s one thing the industry needs to stop doing—and one thing it needs to start doing—when it comes to women?
Whitener
Stop assuming women need special treatment. Start providing equal opportunity, equal pay and recognizing women as builders of the business.
Kisner
Stop treating women’s design intuition and buyer insight as secondary. Start measuring and rewarding the impact women make in customer experience and strategy.
Robertson
Stop expecting more from a woman and paying her less. Give her authority with responsibility.
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