Abstract
For over a decade, the public and the private sectors have carried out research aimed at attracting women engineers to the construction industry and retaining them. However, studies on women engineers working in other types of construction-related businesses apart from contractor companies such as consultancies, developers, etc., have not been many. This paper aims to examine the experiences of women engineers in non-traditional careers and the implications for their turnover. A literature search on women’s careers in construction was performed in conjunction with semi-structured interviews with a sampling of 141 individuals. Results from three viewpoints, viz those of professional men and women engineers in contractor companies, and women engineers in non-contractor companies, were found to differ in many respects, including their opinions about career advancement, career path and the difficulties involved. It was also found that women engineers in contractor companies were much more affected by problems such as sexual harassment, work-life conflicts and equal opportunity than women engineers in non-contractor companies. Turnover rates of women engineers and their reasons for leaving were examined. Women engineers, particularly those in contractor companies, had to confront more barriers in non-traditional careers than their male counterparts. Nonetheless, working in non-contractor companies provides a viable alternative for women engineers who want to have successful careers in the Thai construction industry.
Highlights
There are several factors which determine whether a project will succeed or fail in the Thai construction industry
There were 47 male engineers and 47 women engineers working in contractor firms, 47 women engineers who worked in non-contractor firms i.e. 4 women engineers in construction management firms, 2 women engineers in design and inspection firms, 19 women engineers in design and consulting firms, 14 women engineers in real estate companies, 8 women engineers in supply material firms
Conclusions the number of women civil engineers has been growing, they are still underrepresented in the Thai construction industry (The Council of Engineering in Thailand, 2009)
Summary
There are several factors which determine whether a project will succeed or fail in the Thai construction industry. Staffing is a critical aspect with a varying spectrum of personnel ranging from executives, project managers, project engineers, operating engineers, employees at different levels and workers. Civil engineers, play a vital role in construction projects. Starting their work even before a project takes off, civil engineers coordinate with the project owners, project advisors, main contractors, subcontractors, and even material suppliers to ensure that the project goals are achieved. The construction industry has essentially two important components, namely productive and supportive work. A construction project cannot be successful with just one component. Civil engineering comprises productive and supportive work (Lingard and Lin, 2004). Managers or Australasian Journal of Construction Economics and Building organizations owning the project should pay close attention to the performance of engineering groups because it is an integral part of a successful project (Angus et al, 2000)
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