Suwanarat, Jadeviput (2026) How female leaders perceive the influence of gender on career advancement in the Indonesian construction industry. PhD thesis, Walden University, USA.
Abstract
Women who work in leadership positions in the construction industry in Indonesia face gender related challenges. Grounded in Acker’s theory of gendered organizations, this qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study examined how women leaders experience and interpret gender-related workplace challenges. I collected data through semistructured interviews with nine women leaders in the Greater Jakarta Metropolitan Area and analyzed the data using the modified van Kaam method. Manual coding produced seven emergent themes. Key findings showed that gender inequality is embedded in organizational culture, policies, and everyday practices rather than occurring as isolated incidents. Women leaders reported heightened scrutiny, the need to continually demonstrate competence, and structural expectations intersecting with socioreligious norms. Gendered organizational processes reproduce barriers through routine workplace interactions and cultural symbols. Women leaders navigate these barriers using strategies such as continuous learning, relational leadership, and family and collegial support. This dissertation contributes to positive social change by providing empirical insights that inform organizational policies, including flexible work arrangements, transparent promotion processes, and leadership development programs tailored to women’s experiences, thereby promoting gender equity, increasing women’s participation in construction, and supporting broader workforce inclusion.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Thompson, Elizabeth |
| Index terms: | inequality, competence, Jakarta, norms, organizational culture, interview, Indonesia, construction industry, gender equity, program, interaction, career, leadership development, routine, women, promotion, face, phenomenological study, dissertation, strategy |
| Subjects: | management, professional development, software systems, research dissemination and communication, personnel development, industry analysis, Geography, sociology, social justice, psychology, data collection methods, training, methods and analysis, behavioral psychology |
| Topics: | Ethics, Business Strategy, Information Management, Research Practice, Digital Applications, Geographical Context, Human Resources, Organizational Design |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
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