Breaking Barriers: Understanding Factors Constraining Women’s Career Choices and Progression in the South African Construction Industry

Abimbola, Windapo, Oladinrin, Olugbenga Timo, Alencastro, João, Ekpo, Mbekwa, Dineo and Rana, Muhammad Qasim (2025) Breaking Barriers: Understanding Factors Constraining Women’s Career Choices and Progression in the South African Construction Industry. Equality, diversity and inclusion: An international journal. (In Press)

Text safrica paper.PDF - Accepted Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (848kB)

Abstract

Purpose This paper examines the barriers constraining women's career choices and progression within the South African construction industry. Methodology The study adopted a mixed-method research approach, employing a questionnaire survey of construction industry workers listed in the Construction Professions Register, Builders Collective and the Housing Assembly Organisation. It also used interviews, to validate the quantitative data. The data collected was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including factor analysis. Findings The study found that 39 of the 46 barriers identified have normalized values greater than 0.5 and, therefore, are classified as critical. From a ranking perspective, the top five barriers to the career choices and progression of women in the construction industry are male domination in construction industry careers, gender bias, an unfriendly workplace cultures, lack of strategies and policies for gender balance, and educational expenses. Also, personal and socio-cultural factors, as well as pay disparities, were found to hinder women from pursuing and advancing in construction careers. Furthermore, the KMO score for this study is 0.778, which is greater than the standard threshold, meeting the required standards of the Principal Component Analysis. The results show that there is no evidence of a substantial deviation from sphericity, and there are significant correlations between the variables. Research Limitations This study draws upon literature from other countries due to the limited literature available, specifically focusing on South Africa. However, such references may overlook the country's distinctive political history of racial segregation, which influences the research findings. South Africa's racial history, characterized by apartheid and its lingering effects, has significantly shaped the socio-economic landscape of the nation. Practical Implications This study concludes that women will choose construction as a career and progress in the construction industry, if targeted interventions and supportive environments promote gender inclusivity and encourage their professional growth.

Item Type:	Article
Sustainable Development Goals:	Goal 5: Gender Equality
Keywords:	Career Progression, Gender bias, Professional development, Socio-cultural factors, South Africa
Depositing User:	Muhammad Rana
Date Deposited:	12 Sep 2025 09:07
Last Modified:	11 Oct 2025 18:28
URI:	https://ube.repository.guildhe.ac.uk/id/eprint/190

Actions (login required)

Edit Item