BARRIERS AND FACILITATORS OF CAREER WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION IN SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION DEVELOPMENTS IN SOUTH SOUTH, NIGERIA

Purpose: Unique attribute of professional women in construction industry remains untapped assets in sustainable construction developments (SCD). This study identified the critical barriers and facilitators of career women participation in SCD.

Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from consulting and contracting firms in Akwa Ibom and Cross River States, in Nigeria through questionnaire administered to registered Architects, Builders, Engineers and Quantity surveyors. Inter-rater analysis was used to spot the critical barriers and facilitators while factor analysis was used to group the critical barriers and facilitators into discernible components.

Findings: Findings revealed sixteen critical barriers to career women's participation in SCD. The foremost critical barriers include family obligation; technological deficiencies, and female preference for other jobs relative to construction jobs with rating weighted agreement (RWG) values of 0.71; 0.63; and 0.61 respectively. Similarly, twenty-one critical facilitators to career women's participation in SCD were derived. Among the critical facilitators were provision of health and safety measures; provision of mentors/roles model at school level/work place; and provision of caregiving support in the first three positions with rating weighted agreement (RWG) values of 0.66; 0.64; and 0.63 correspondingly. The harnessed factors formed four components each for barriers and facilitators. The barriers components are strenuous environment; discrimination; lack of incentive; and inadequate training while the facilitators components are education and learning; mentorship and networking; employment and retention; and health and safety training.

Research limitations/Implications: The limitations include the use of only professional women in Akwa Ibom and Cross River States in Nigeria. The contribution to knowledge is that, this study established barriers and facilitators components to career women's participation in SCD.

Practical implications: It is recommended that employers in the construction sector should introduce condition of service that favourably consider the peculiarities of women and encourage their mentorship.

Originality/value: The study concludes that family care and concerns leading to female's preference for other jobs relative to construction jobs were significantly impacting on women's participation in SCD, and that the need to establish flexible working conditions and provide equal participation with their counterpart at all level in SCD.