Challenges for the retention of women in the chilean construction industry

a quantitative analysis

Abstract

Globally, female participation in the construction sector has increased in recent decades; however, it remains significantly lower than that of men. Several studies have identified the barriers and challenges that women face throughout their careers in this industry. Nevertheless, in the Chilean context, academic research on this topic is limited. This study aims to address this gap by identifying the obstacles women encounter to stay within the construction industry in Chile. A quantitative analysis was conducted to responses from a survey responded by 111 industry professionals, including men and women. The data were analyzed using survey analysis and independence tests, focusing on five key factors: gender, age, years of experience, number of children, and marital status. The results indicated that gender is the most influential factor, followed by age and family situation, highlighting issues such as difficulty balancing personal and work life, job dissatisfaction, and long working hours. Our findings may contribute to public entities and decision-makers formulating specific gender-oriented policies in construction. For instance, the inclusion of the concept of "woman-hour," analogous to "man-hour," in human resource budgets in construction is suggested, which would facilitate greater equity in workforce planning.