Table of Contents

Executive Summary........................................................................................................................1

1. Introduction................................................................................................................................1

2. Overview of recruitment process, focused on women in construction industry.......................2

3. Overview of talent retention, especially for women in the construction industry....................3

4. Improving gender equity and inclusion for women in construction industry..........................5

5. Recommendations for improving the employment/retention of women in the Australian

construction industry......................................................................................................................6

6. Brief conclusion..........................................................................................................................6

References.......................................................................................................................................7

Executive Summary

Construction is considered as a masculine industry in deep of our perception. Women had

trouble joining or progressing their construction profession for a long time. Research shows that
an increasing level of productivity is achieved by the diversified workforce with gender balance.
Despite the importance of this issue, research on the growth of women's construction professions
were minimal. The Australian Government has therefore recently initiated an experimental
mentoring system to help women in the construction sector. This suggests that enhancing gender
equality in construction is a critical issue that receives the Australian Government's concern. This
report aims to examine the advancement of women's employment in the Australian construction
industry with the goal of evaluating the recruitment process focused on women, talent retention
for women, and gender equity and inclusion of women. The report also recommended strategies
for employers of construction companies to eliminate gender imbalances.

1
1. Introduction
In Australia, the construction industry is the fastest growing of all industries in terms of average
monthly growth and become the third largest industry. There was 3,640,100 people were
employed in construction in March 2019, increasing 14.5% on February 2019 (WGEAgovau.,
2019). In 2019 (November to December) construction had a high level of labour shortages with
7.2% of all jobs identified as being highly skilled, and 3.9% as being in the moderate skill
categories. Australia has one of the most internationally competitive construction sectors in the
world and the construction industry will continue to drive the Australian economy well into the
future. However in this country, the construction business is a very male-dominated industry.
There are about 3 times more male workers in the construction industry than women. In
Australia for many years, the industry is predominantly male. It was reported as from February
2018, women account for roughly 13.1% percent of the workforce in the construction industry in
construction, with 6.3% full-time and 6.8% part-time women employees (Australian Industry and
Skills Committee, 2020). In the last ten years, the percentage of women involved in construction
has remained significantly low. Women, in particular, are almost forty percent higher than men
leaving the construction industry (Australian Prime Minister 2019). Women's participation in the
construction industry must be promoted because there are indications of a higher efficiency and
improved returns on gender diverse workplaces (Australian Prime Minister, 2019). The
construction industry is missing the best talent without gender diversity (Prime Minister of
Australia, 2019). The purpose of this report is to provide an insight into the three important
aspects of HRM in construction industry in Australia including recruitment process focused on
women, talent retention for women, and improving gender equity and inclusion for women. This
analysis and discussion would result in some weaknesses that will be addressed for
recommendations.

2. Overview of recruitment process, focused on women in construction

industry
In the construction sector, the recruiting procedure is considered to be a bias against female
workforce. In addition, the terms and conditions were usually poor irrespective of gender. There
is also no provision to specially support for women working in construction industry. The issue
of safety faced by female workers, confined to the environmental conditions of the construction
2
site also remained a problem that has not been addressed in construction labour’s terms and
conditions and within their labour contracts. Women were often found not to be given a hearing
in fair labour arbitrations. The wage scheme is unequal and biased to favor the male labor force
than female employees (Francis, 2017). Such a wage regime also favours older experienced men.
Remuneration is not specially increasing for women employees. This makes it challenging for
many female workers to find affordable housing, offer secure tenure in places of work and secure
a decent wage. Lingard and Lin (2004) also shown that male managers in construction
companies have been utilizing patriarchal recruiting practices and have stopped many women
from moving into new positions with contracting organisations. Also blamed for high
unemployment was the increasing complexity of the construction industry. The key factors for
women's uninterest in the sector are the terms and conditions of employment which require
employees to expose to outside environment frenquently. This is not in favor of women workers.
The analysis carried out by Loosemore and Waters (2004) found that the industry fails especially
at craft level to provide reasonable salaries, pensions and other employee benefits. In the
recruitment process of the construction industry there is also a gender bias in the application of
selection criteria. The selection criteria are frequently used by evaluators to identify which
candidate to hire or promote. Studies have however demonstrated that evaluators may
consciously change the value of such qualifications to benefit applicants that suit a standard
gender profile, where qualification requirements may not obtain preset weighting (Amaratunga et
al. 2006). It was also stated that the working conditions of construction organisations, which may
entail ads and leaflets representing masculine ideals and desires, unstructured interviews, biased
hiring and patriarchal activities, enables informal recruiting processes (Fielden et al., 2000).
Almost all employers even now regard women as inappropriate for some traditionally male
dominated jobs , for example manual employees have a fair degree of resilience and physical
strengths, with certain jobs requiring a higher level of lifting and heavy technical operation
(Menches & Abraham, 2007). This, as well as restricted career development opportunities
policies after the recruitment were also said to be reasons for the low number of female workers
in construction industry. The key factors for women's uninterest in the sector are the terms and
conditions of employment. It was also noticed that during the cold winter months construction
employees had to work outside, sometimes in muddy environments that make the industry
especially unattractive for women. Many construction firms were also criticized for using

3
discriminatory recruitment processes to prevent women entering organizations. Because of the
female underrepresentation and discrimination and the exclusionary culture of the industry,
contacts are often missing to achieve this way and as such, Dainty et al ( 2001) have found that if
they continue to have problems finding jobs, they are more likely to seek work in another, more
acceptable subsection of the industry

3. Overview of talent retention, especially for women in the construction

industry
A key feature of an active recruiting program is the continued engagement of all senior and talent
staff in the workforce, so that the capability of the team continues to increase, It is also essential
to provide a strong management team to plan, administer and work with the HR manager of the
company to retain the best and brightest employees to work for the long time in the organization.
It is well known that organisations generally operate best when they have a talent workforce. The
construction industry has not only strived to invite women to apply for jobs, it has also faced
with challenges in retaining the talent female workforce who have chosen to work with them
(Worrall et al, 2010). Retaining engaged and motivated employees especially is of paramount
significance to the sustainability of any organization, especially this even become critical for
construction companies which are experiencing difficulty filling key positions by women. The
construction industry is characterized as being onsite most of the time and it is difficult for those
women working in the construction industry to negotiate their time and family commitments.
Therefore, poor incentives and poor flexible working options drive talent women the leave the
job in construction industry. According to research, women have little access to informal
networks that provide information about career development opportunities. In addition, They are
also less likely to have a mentor who will indicate their potential and give them the necessary
support to achieve success. Therefore they tend to leave the position soon. Another factor that
make women of construction industry not engage in their work for a long time is that Women
who join in professional positions in the construction industry prefer to occupy technical
specialist rather than general managerial posts (Bennett et al, 1999). However, the factors
working against retention are manifold. Women's attitude towards work seems to be shifting
from "work hard to receive merit" towards "work hard but be careful not to work too much"

4
mentality which leads to stress and a negative image in the mind. Whereas the construction
industry is characterized as being highly stressful and complicated, which are not in favor of
women. Many talent women who came to the construction industry and started dedicating their
competency and effort in the construction assignments to make money and taking off their time
for family. These women were not only asking for special treatment, they were also asking that
the wage they were earning be higher or at least the same as their male counterparts. However,
sometime this requirement is not supported. It is reported from a survey that talent women with
the same degrees as men had an average of 6 months of construction work experience by the
time they were hired and about one year of work experience when they left (Lingard & Francis,
2004). Women with some advanced degrees had about nine months of construction experience,
on average, while women with bachelor's degrees had only three months of construction
experience.

4. Improving gender equity and inclusion for women in construction

industry
Gender inequality has been a longstanding problem for every sector, and construction is not an
exception. Although certain companies are relatively balanced in the proportion of men to
women at entry stage, almost still less women are in the upper levels. To achieve gender equity
and inclusion for women in construction industry, it is essential to eliminate all biases against
women that limit their opportunities in and out of the construction industry. Construction
companies must also work towards an equality in pay scheme to help redress the gender pay gap.
There should be Women-focused and non-discriminatory recruitment. Construction in Australia
attempt to practice diverse employment policies. There are a number of jobs available at
different stages in the construction process that are appealing for women to engage and women
have made great strides in the field in recent decades. New research is revealing that the
demands of construction industry on women are increasing. However a recent survey has shown
that only a third of senior civil servants are women (Wright, 2016). We need to increase the
representation of women in civil service management and in key managerial positions, by
supporting them to gain the right training and experience. In order to reduce wage gap between
men and women, construction sector needs to increase the hiring of women in various

5
departments and specialties. While there has been much discussion about women disengagement,
one emerging issue for construction organisations is a gender imbalance in leadership roles. Most
organisations attempt to make a balance in term of demographics of their staff and focus their
efforts on the most recent hires and promotions (Reimer, 2018). While women in middle and
high management are present in many construction organizations, the number of women in
leadership roles remains sadly minimal. This results in a distinct absence of role models at the
highest level that has the social effect of signalling to women that such a status can not be
attained. In America, the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) has noted
that the data on women in the construction sector since its inception show a decline in women
holding CEO positions since the mid-1980's.

5. Recommendations for improving the employment/retention of women

in the Australian construction industry
In order to improve the advancement and chance of advancement of women in the construction
industry, the Australian government needs to work on a female-friendly construction policy and
be aware of the practical consideration of gender equity in recruitment. Construction companies
should provide training and learning opportunities that attract and retain talent women
employees. Targeted training and education may be particularly important as these opportunities
often benefit women. An organisation is successful when it offers the right environment for
people to grow and thrive (French & Strachan, 2017). Thus construction companies should
empower women employees, hold women leaders and managers to account, and create an
opportunity for them to grow and work smarter together. One way in which organisations can
encourage women into their workforce is through giving them incentives for engaging with the
company and being successful in the team. Managers of construction companies can help in the
retention of women by performing thorough background checks and promoting promotion to
higher-level positions. Construction companies are supposed to think critically regarding the job
aspirations of women as their desire to change is less likely to have more money or more
influence, but weighted in favor of better working opportunities, like diverse position options
and the opportunity to perform a new, challenging function. Opening up career opportunities for
women and expanding communication channels to allow women to develop their personal
careers would help organizations retain more female talent.

6
6. Brief conclusion

A rapid growth in the number of construction jobs by women has long been the source of serious
doubts about the luster of construction industry. Because of a lack of participation by women in
construction in recent years, a culture of suspicion has developed about construction projects
generally.  There is a stigma attached to being involved in construction that results in intense
worker resistance to the work and increased hostility toward construction workers.  Growth of
the construction industry, although vital to the economy, has not been forthcoming for women.
Construction companies are increasingly using all-female crews, and that female workers are at a
greater advantage when the circumstances of the project are less demanding. There is a
significant gap in recruitment and talent retention between men and women in construction
industry. While women are already represented in the construction workforce, this industry still
remains a heavily male dominated field. It is recommended employers take steps to address this
imbalance by encouraging women to enter the workforce. Therefore, the inclusion of a woman or
minority allows construction firms to compete on the basis of cost, efficiency, integrity,
innovation, customer service, technological efficiency, time management, and quality. Without
women, there is a legitimate concern that the construction industry will falter, or worse, will be
not able to compete with other industries.  

References
Australian Industry and Skills Committee. (2020, April 3). Construction. Retrieved from
https://nationalindustryinsights.aisc.net.au/industries/construction
Amaratunga, D., Haigh, R.P., Lee, L., Elvitigala G., 2006, Construction Industry and Women: A
Review of the Barriers. Available at
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/229016542_Construction_Industry_and_Wom
en_A_Review_of_the_Barriers/citations

Bennett, J.F., Davidson, M.J., and Gale, A.W. (1999) Women in construction: a
comparative investigation into the expectations and experiences of female and
male construction undergraduates and employees, Women in Management Review,
14(7), Pp.273-91.

7
Burton, C. (1998) Staffing the Changing Public Service - Merit, Equity and Development,
Canberra Bulletin of Public Administration, 89, Pp 62-67.
Francis, V. (2017). What influences professional women’s career advancement in
construction? Construction Management and Economics, 35(5), 254-275.
doi:10.1080/01446193.2016.1277026
French, E., & Strachan, G. (2017). Women in the construction industry. Valuing People in
Construction, 151-171. doi:10.4324/9781315459936-11
Lingard, H., & Francis, V. (2004). The work‐life experiences of office and site‐based employees
in the Australian construction industry. Construction Management and
Economics, 22(9), 991-1002. doi:10.1080/0144619042000241444
Lingard, H., & Lin, J. (2004). Career, family and work environment determinants of
organizational commitment among women in the Australian construction
industry. Construction Management and Economics, 22(4), 409-420.
doi:10.1080/0144619032000122186
Loosemore, M., & Waters, T. (2004). Gender differences in occupational stress among
professionals in the construction industry. Journal of Management in
Engineering, 20(3), 126-132. doi:10.1061/(asce)0742-597x(2004)20:3(126)
Menches, C. L., & Abraham, D. M. (2007). Women in construction—Tapping the untapped
resource to meet future demands. Journal of Construction Engineering and
Management, 133(9), 701-707. doi:10.1061/(asce)0733-9364(2007)133:9(701)
Prime Minister of Australia, 2019. Coalition builds opportunities for women in construction.
[media release] 8 March 2019. Available at:
https://ministers.pmc.gov.au/odwyer/2019/coalition-builds-opportunities-women-
construction
Reimer, M. (2018). Women and careers: Transnational studies in public policy and employment
equity. Routledge.
Worrall, L., Harris, K., Stewart, R., Thomas, A., & McDermott, P. (2010). Barriers to women in
the UK construction industry. Engineering, Construction and Architectural
Management, 17(3), 268-281. doi:10.1108/09699981011038060
Wright, T. (2016). Gender and sexuality in male-dominated occupations: Women working in
construction and transport. Springer.

8
WGEAgovau., 2019. Fact Sheet - Gender composition of the workforce: by industry. [online]
Available at: https://www.wgea.gov.au/data/fact-sheets/gender-segregation-in-
australias-workforce [Accessed 18 May 2020]