CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS & PROJECT MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE 2022 · Vol. 2022, Issue 1

Enchanting women's interest in the construction industry: The role of digitalisation

Lerato Malatji and John Smallwood

Keywords: Construction, digitalisation, diversity, women

Abstract

Although males dominate the construction industry as women are seldom given the benefit of the doubt to showcase their capabilities and skills, the use of Construction 4.0 technologies could be the optimal catalyst for providing flexibility and mobility of women professionals within the South African construction industry. In light of the above and the advent of digitalisation, a quantitative study, which involved an online questionnaire, was conducted. Architects, construction managers, construction project managers, engineers, and quantity surveyors within the construction industry were approached to determine the potential of digitalisation to attract and retain women in the construction industry. The salient findings are: the construction industry is a male-dominated sector; there is a general lack of women's participation and involvement in the construction industry; digitalisation could be a useful tool to enchant the interest of women in the construction industry; the construction industry entails high workloads and long hours; a patriarchal culture that threatens people's work-life balance exists in the construction industry; there is non-adherence to the constitutional equality clause; digitalisation can help enchant women's interest and involvement in the construction industry, and the construction industry possesses optimism towards digitalisation whilst showing reluctance in its implementation. Based on the findings, using digitalisation and technological systems within the workplace could stimulate women's interest in the construction industry. This would redress the prevailing discriminatory and male-dominated tendencies currently characterising the South African construction industry.