Advancing Women in Construction: Gender Differences in Attraction and Retention Factors with Managers in the Electrical Construction Industry

Perrenoud, Anthony; Bigelow, Ben F.; Perkins, Emmilea

doi:10.1061/(asce)me.1943-5479.0000808

Cited by 39 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Civil engineering provides many opportunities to serve, but the marketing of the profession needs improvement. Providing opportunities for advancement (Loosemore and Waters 2004), improving the recognition processes (Perrenoud et al 2020), and strengthening the social capital of URGs for training and safety (Allison and Kaminsky 2017;Yates 2001) will move the civil engineering industry forward. By having a diverse set of leaders in civil engineering, future generations of engineers will be able to see their career aspirations in mentors and role models.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recognizing Differences in Underrepresented Civil Engineering Students’ Career Satisfaction Expectations and College Experiences

et al. 2021

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Student career satisfaction expectations and college experiences are an underutilized map toward attracting and sustaining the interest of underrepresented groups (URGs) in the civil engineering and construction industry. URGs provide indispensable contributions to the development of the built environment; however, URGs in civil engineering have not received sufficient attention to their unique expectations and experiences. Furthermore, diversity and inclusion efforts still are special practices in civil engineering, and are far from a conventional factor of professional respectability. Leveraging a national survey data set of responses from senior level undergraduate engineering students (n ¼ 4,605), this study found measurable differences in career satisfaction expectations and college experiences between URGs and non-URGs in civil engineering. From the survey, 830 senior-level students majoring in civil engineering and construction related fields provided their career satisfaction expectations and undergraduate cocurricular experiences. Welch's t-test and Hedges' g were used to measure the significant differences in career satisfaction expectations between URGs and non-URGs. A frequency distribution was created and paired with chi-squared test for independence and Cramér's V to measure the difference in undergraduate participation in cocurricular activities between URGs and non-URGs. The results of this study showed URGs' career satisfaction expectations and cocurricular activities significantly differed from those of non-URGs. URG students reported more interest in helping others and in volunteering with charity groups in their careers. URG students also reported higher participation in cocurricular activities such as contributing as a member of an organization for women and/or minorities in engineering, acting as a member of an outreach club, and working a work-study or other type of job to pay for college. The findings presented in this paper highlight the need for the civil engineering profession to move beyond monolithic traditions, which can perpetuate exclusion.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recognizing Differences in Underrepresented Civil Engineering Students’ Career Satisfaction Expectations and College Experiences

et al. 2021

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“…They identified that a male career model (expecting full-time professionals with unbroken careers), inflexible work arrangements, and adverse organizational diversity climate prevail in the construction industries in the United Kingdom and Australia. Perrenoud et al (2020) identified the most influential factors in attracting and retaining female managers in the electrical construction industry. They found that craft/professional training opportunities, relationships with coworkers, and nonmonetary rewards are more influential to the attraction and retention of female managers.…”

Section: Supporting Contexts For Workforce Diversity and Inclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity and Inclusion in the Engineering-Construction Industry

2022

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“…Silva and Dominguez [21] carried out research in Chile on improving female construction engineering students' experience throughout their careers. Perrenoud et al [22] identified the attraction and retention factors for women in the U.S. electrical construction industry. Naoum et al [23] conducted a comparative study on men's and women's self-perception in the UK construction industry.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysing Gender Issues in the Australian Construction Industry through the Lens of Empowerment

2021

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Gender equality at work in male-dominated industries is conditioned by intrinsic systemic issues which established policies have, to a significant extent, failed to address, as women’s participation remains under-represented. This study argues for the reappraisal of the issue through a different lens and carries out a systematic and thematic review of the literature on women in construction in Australia through a women’s empowerment framework. Despite its usual application in gender inequality at work in development studies, the concept of empowerment lacks attention in the context of developed countries, particularly regarding the construction industry. Empowerment has been proved a useful overarching framework to analyse personal, relational, and environmental factors affecting women’s ability to be or do. In the examined studies, there is significant focus on external barriers to women in construction, such ‘organisational practices’ (environmental), ‘support’ and ‘others’ attitudes and behaviour’ (relational). There is, however, limited attention to more active stances of power, such as one’s attitude (personal), control and capacity, in shifting power dynamics. The paper draws seven major findings, covering personal, relational and environmental dimensions, supported and supplemented by some international studies, and suggests the way forward for empowering women in construction.

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Advancing Women in Construction: Gender Differences in Attraction and Retention Factors with Managers in the Electrical Construction Industry

Cited by 39 publications

References 18 publications

Recognizing Differences in Underrepresented Civil Engineering Students’ Career Satisfaction Expectations and College Experiences

Recognizing Differences in Underrepresented Civil Engineering Students’ Career Satisfaction Expectations and College Experiences

Diversity and Inclusion in the Engineering-Construction Industry

Analysing Gender Issues in the Australian Construction Industry through the Lens of Empowerment

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