Women in Construction—Tapping the Untapped Resource to Meet Future Demands
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 133, Issue 9
Abstract
A lack of skilled workers has become a global problem that is impacting the construction industry. To address the issue, the industry—working in partnership with government agencies—has developed programs to attract new workers for high-skill positions in construction. These workers include women and minorities. However, attracting women into a career field that is dominated by conflict and aggression is problematic. Consequently, the industry is making a significant effort to change their image and culture, and these efforts are being supported by professional associations, labor unions, and universities. This paper highlights the current status of women in construction trades, management, education, and research positions. The paper also identifies many of the challenges women face in the construction industry and the many opportunities and support networks that are available to help them succeed.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
ACE Mentor. (2007). “Career directions for students in architecture, construction, and engineering.” ⟨www.acementor.org⟩ (Feb. 20, 2007).
Agapiou, A. (2002). “Perceptions of gender roles and attitudes toward work among male and female operatives in the Scottish construction industry.” Constr. Manage. Econom., 20, 697–705.
Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin. (2004). “What are the biggest challenges contractors are facing as we enter the 21st century?” Presentation to graduate students at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wis., Spring.
Atwater, D. M., and Jones, A. (2004). “Preparing for a future labor shortage.” Graziadio Business Rep., 7(2), 1–6.
Bennett, J. F., Davidson, M. J., and Galeand, A. W. (1999). “Women in construction: A comparative investigation into the expectations and experiences of female and male construction undergraduates and employees.” Women Manage. Rev., 14(7), 273–291.
Bureau of Women. (2007). “Nontraditional occupations for women in 2005.” U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washington, D.C., ⟨www.dol.gov/wb/factsheets/nontra2005.htm⟩.
Committee on Maximizing the Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering, National Academy of Science (NAS). (2006). Beyond bias and barriers: Fulfilling the potential of women in academic science and engineering, Washington, D.C.
Construction Industry Training Board (CITB). (2007). “Construction skills network outputs.” ⟨www.constructionskills.net/research/constructionskillsnetwork/forecastmodel/constructionskillsnetworkoutputs/uk/⟩.
Construction Users Roundtable (CURT). (2006). “Critical needs assessment subcommittee.” Proc., Southeast Manpower Tripartite Alliance (SEMTA), Charleston, S.C.
Dainty, A. R. J., Bagilhole, B. M., Ansari, K. H., and Jackson, J. (2004). “Creating equality in the construction industry: An agenda for change for women and ethnic minorities.” J. Constr. Res., 5(1), 75–86.
Dainty, A. R. J., Neale, R. H., and Bagilhole, B. M. (2000). “Comparison of men’s and women’s careers in U.K. construction industry.” J. Profl. Issues Eng. Educ. Pract., 126(3), 110–115.
Education and Training Administration (ETA). (2004). “America’s construction industry: Identifying and addressing workforce challenges.” ETA/Business Relations Group Rep., U.S. Dept. of Labor, Washington, D.C.
Faculty for the Future (FFF). (2007). “Faculty for the future.” ⟨www.engr.psu.edu/fff/misc/⟩ (Feb. 28, 2007).
Fielden, S. L., Davidson, M. J., Gale, A., and Davey, C. L. (2000). “Women in construction: The untapped resource.” Constr. Manage. Econom., 18(1), 113–121.
Greed, C. (2000). “Women in the construction professions: Achieving critical mass.” Gender work and organization, Vol. 3, Blackwell, Oxford, U.K., 181–196.
Grossman, R. J. (2005). “The truth about the coming labor shortage.” HR Magazine, 50(3), ⟨http://www.shrm.org/hrmagazine/articles/0305/0305covstory.asp⟩.
Madison Area Technical College (MATC). (2007). “Women in trades and technology.” ⟨http://matcmadison.edu/matc/offerings/apprenticeships/trades.shtm⟩ (Mar. 29, 2007).
MentorNet. (2007). ⟨www.mentornet.net⟩ (Feb. 28, 2007).
Moore, J. D. (2006). “Women in construction management: Creating a theory of career choice and development.” Ph.D. dissertation, Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins, Colo.
Oberst, T., and Crawford, F. (2007). “Engineering faculty booklet reflects Cornell’s commitment to diversity.” ⟨www.news.cornell.edu/Chronicle/04/12.2.04/eng_fac_booklet.html⟩ (Mar. 29, 2007).
Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA). (1999). “Women in the construction workplace: Providing equitable safety and health protection.” Rep. by the Health and Safety of Women in Construction (HASWIC) Workgroup, OSHA, and the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCH), Dept. of Labor, ⟨www.osha.gov/doc/accsh⟩ (Feb. 15, 2007).
Professional Women in Construction (PWC). (2007). ⟨www.pwcusa.org⟩ (Mar. 29, 2007).
National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC). (2007). ⟨www.nawic.org⟩ (Mar. 29, 2007).
National Science Foundation (NSF). (2005). “Press release 05-078: President Bush honors excellence in mentoring.” ⟨www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=104137&org=NSF⟩ (Feb. 8, 2007).
Rosser, S. V. (2007). “Attracting and retaining women in science and engineering.” ⟨www.aaup.org/publications/Academe/2003/03ja/03jaross.htm⟩ (Mar. 29, 2007).
Shanmugam, M., Amaratunga, D., Haigh, R., and Baldry, D. (2006). “Construction and women: The lessons construction can learn from other sectors.” Proc., Annual Research Conf. of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), RICS, Parliament Square, London.
Society of Women Engineers (SWE). (2006). “Society of Women Engineers.” ⟨www.swe.org/⟩ (Feb. 8, 2007).
U.S. Department of Labor. (2007). “The President’s high growth job training initiative.” ⟨www.doleta.gov/BRG/JobTrainInitiative/#TargetedIndustries⟩ (March 29, 2007).
WOMEN-CORE. (2007). “Women core.” ⟨www.women-core.org/web/index.php⟩ (Mar. 1, 2007).
Women in Engineering Programs and Advocates Network (WEPAN). (2005). ⟨www.wepan.org/⟩ (Feb. 28, 2007).
Women into Science, Engineering, and Construction (WISE). (2005). “SET for a great future: How to inspire girls and boys about SET careers in the engineering and construction industries.” ⟨www.wisecampaign.org.uk⟩ (Mar. 1, 2007).
Women’s Programs in Engineering (WPE). (2004). Guide to women faculty, Cornell Univ., Utica. N.Y.
Yuill, L. (2005). Changing the face of construction, Pinsent Masons, London.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 133 • Issue 9 • September 2007
Pages: 701 - 707
Copyright
© 2007 ASCE.
History
Received: Apr 4, 2007
Accepted: May 2, 2007
Published online: Sep 1, 2007
Published in print: Sep 2007
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.