Kakar, A S and Hasan, A (2024) Exploring the combined effects of socio-political conflicts and patriarchic society on a construction career path: Evidence from Afghan female professionals. International Journal of Construction Education and Research, 20(1), pp. 98-118. ISSN 15578771
Abstract
Women’s under-representation in the construction industry is evident in developing and developed economies worldwide. Previous studies show that several factors, including cultural and societal norms, result in the low participation of women in the construction industry. This study explores the combined effects of socio-political conflicts and patriarchic society on female construction professionals' experiences and career paths in the Afghan construction industry. The thematic analysis of the qualitative data collected from in-depth semi-structured interviews with eight Afghan female construction professionals revealed that social and political unrest influenced their career choices and career growth in the Afghan construction industry. In addition, widespread corruption and security issues distinctly shaped their work experiences. The findings also revealed the negative influence of overprotective culture and religious beliefs on women professionals' experiences and careers. Finally, this study found that office-based roles, family support, and technology adoption encouraged women’s participation in the Afghan construction industry. Given the scarcity of research from similar contexts, this study provides empirical evidence on various challenges female professionals face in the construction industry in patriarchic societies and war-affected and conflict-sensitive regions.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Afghanistan; construction industry; patriarchy; war; women professionals; interview |
| Index terms: | interview, society, face, career, corruption, thematic analysis, evidence, norms, construction professional, war, women, construction industry, Afghanistan, technology adoption |
| Subjects: | psychology, innovation and technology management, evaluation and assessment methods, data collection methods, sociology, industry analysis, communities and social development, professional ethics, methods and analysis, Geography, conflict and crisis studies, professional development |
| Topics: | Organizational Design, Legal Issues, Stakeholder Management, Information Management, Engineering Principles, Geographical Context, Research Practice |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here