Empirical evidence of women under‐representation in the construction industry in Nigeria

The Socio-Economics of Women Inclusion in Green Construction

The female population represents one of the greatest untapped resources for economic growth and revitalization in most sectors. The purpose of the study was to examine the socio-economics of women’s inclusion in green construction. The study utilized the use of questionnaires which were distributed to female professionals in the Nigerian construction industry. A total of 120 female construction professionals were used for this study. The data gathered was analysed using SPSS v17.0 with tests such as Frequencies, Percentages, Mean Score, ANOVA, and Factor Analysis. The result revealed a low level of participation by women in green construction. Women in construction exhibited moderate participation in Solar panel manufacturing, installation, and maintenance and in the enforcement of environmentally friendly practices on-site. The study revealed that the stressful nature of works, low interest from women, low career growth/progression and low investments in green works are significant barriers affecting women’s inclusion in green construction. In conclusion, the study identified three (3) socio-economic benefits of women’s inclusion in green construction. These are family/women related benefits, environment related benefits, and green energy market related benefits. The study suggested measures to increase women’s participation in green construction.

Women at work! Evaluating equal employment policies and outcomes in construction

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine equal employment policies in Australia’s male-dominated construction industry and categorise the types of activities undertaken against an equal employment typology to identify links to outcomes for women in the form of increased participation and management.

Design/methodology/approach

– To explore the issue of low representation of women in construction through the content analysis of 83 construction organisations’ equal employment opportunity (EEO) reports.

Findings

– This industry is not engaging with equal employment issues and the numbers of women working in the industry and/or management are based on individual decision rather than an institutional commitment to equality in diversity.

Research limitations/implications

– Australian legislation mandates organisational reporting of relevant data and offers public access to this information offering a unique data set.

Practical implications

– An ageing population means that the predominately older male workforce is leaving construction in greater numbers with fewer potential replacements making new labour markets a vital consideration.

Social implications

– Legislation and organisational policies designed to promote EEO for women have existed in numerous countries for decades. One objective of this legislation was to reduce male domination in senior positions and industries/occupations where women were under-represented. Despite this, few women are employed in construction in operational or management roles worldwide.

Originality/value

– This study offers a comprehensive analysis of a male-dominated industry in one jurisdiction rather than a few selected cases and uses a broader rigorous typology for analysis that acknowledges both equal and different treatment options.

Burnout among paramilitary personnel in Nigeria: a perspective from Conservation of Resources Theory

The job demands–resources model attributed burnout to incompatibility between job demands and job resources, and underplayed the role of personal resources in employees’ adaptation. Based on the Conservation of Resources Theory, this study proposes the inclusion of personal resources as predictors of burnout. A cross-sectional survey design was employed to gather data from 256 paramilitary personnel in Nigeria. Participants’ ages ranged from 19 to 65 years ( M = 35.03 years, standard deviation [ SD] = 8.55 years). Data were collected using measures of emotional intelligence, self-efficacy, organization-based self-esteem, optimism, and burnout. Results confirmed the joint influence of psychological resources on burnout. Emotional intelligence, self-efficacy, organization-based self-esteem, optimism, and tenure were found to have a significant influence on burnout. The findings suggest that organizations should be able to minimize burnout among their employees by increasing their adaptive capacities through appropriate training and development workshops.