Suresh, S; Renukappa, S; Stride, M; Nicola Toor, R and Khan, A (2025) Women in the UK construction industry: Are we still clinging to the "old boys club"? Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 32(1), pp. 214-236. ISSN 0969-9988
Abstract
Purpose: The construction industry is famous for gender imbalance and reluctance in initiating change. In recent years, construction is becoming an attractive career choice for women. However, this change has been gradual. The purpose of this research was to understand the challenges women are facing in construction sector after a decade of implementation of the Equality Act 2010 in the UK and how women in the sector feel the industry could be further improved. This research investigated real-life experiences to identify where the industry needs to make viable improvements. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative research methodology was adopted. In total, 31 semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data, which was then analysed using content analysis for inference and conclusion. Findings: This research revealed that women still experience adversity forcing them to work harder than usual to prove their belonging in construction sector. The "man's world" culture is still widespread. However, women have seen improvements over recent years but believe more can be done from an intersectionality perspective. This is pertinent due to the Brexit and Covid-19 situation. Originality/value: The study contributes to the field of equality and diversity in the construction sector. Women believe that factors such as bespoke initiatives, equal pay, flexible working hours (considering childcare and caring responsibilities), mental health and well-being support, and equality and diversity policies will enable the construction sector to create conducive environment for women now and in the future.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction industry; diversity; equality and women |
| Index terms: | content analysis, interview, COVID-19, construction sector, well-being, career, methodology, qualitative research, working hours, equality and diversity, becoming, implementation, construction industry, mental health, women |
| Subjects: | research design and methodology, mental health and wellbeing, data collection methods, data analysis and analytics, professional development, employment law, health risk and incident analysis, management, industry analysis, health conditions and diseases, sociology, contractual arrangements, research methods, philosophical process |
| Topics: | Human Resources, Information Management, Research Practice, Legal Issues, Health and Safety, Procurement |
| 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