Assessing Women’s Participation and Contributions in The Construction Industry: Evidence from Niger State, Nigeria (Published)
The construction industry is a major contributor to socio-economic development through employment generation, infrastructure provision, and economic growth. Despite its importance, women remain significantly underrepresented in the industry, particularly in technical, supervisory, and managerial positions. This study assessed the contributions of women in the construction industry in Niger State, Nigeria, by examining their level of representation, roles, barriers to participation, and strategies for improving gender inclusivity. A descriptive survey research design was adopted using a structured questionnaire administered to 291 construction stakeholders comprising professionals, artisans, and managers selected through stratified and simple random sampling techniques. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, including frequencies, percentages, mean scores, and ranking analysis. The findings revealed that women constitute only 11% of the construction workforce in the study area, indicating substantial gender imbalance. Despite their limited representation, women contribute significantly to project administration, quality management, health and safety compliance, communication, teamwork, and organizational effectiveness. The study identified educational limitations, recruitment bias, gender discrimination, glass ceiling effects, cultural stereotypes, inadequate participation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), and family responsibilities as the major constraints limiting women’s participation in the construction sector. Furthermore, respondents strongly supported interventions such as gender-inclusive employment policies, promotion of STEM education, flexible work arrangements, mentoring programmes, childcare support, and equal career advancement opportunities as effective strategies for improving women’s participation. The study concludes that increasing women’s participation would enhance workforce diversity, innovation, productivity, and sustainable construction development. It recommends collaborative efforts among government agencies, professional bodies, educational institutions, and construction firms to eliminate structural barriers and promote equal opportunities within the Nigerian construction industry.
Keywords: Construction industry, gender inclusivity, women in construction, workforce diversity