Qualitative Case Study of Women Leaders and Administrators in Construction Education Programs
Construction industry is growing very fast in various aspects. However, the population of women in construction workforce is very low. This qualitative research aims at exploring the experience of women leaders and administrators in construction program, empower them in the decision making process, and find ways to create safe and encouraging work environments for them. This is believed to be possible through creating platform to educate men and women in shared leadership context, providing education and career development for women in the construction industry, and facilitating access to training and retraining programs for future leaders of the industry. The populations of the research are women who are in administrative positions in a research intensive Midwestern University. First, previous trends of women's presence in construction industry was investigated. Next, women who are currently active in leadership roles were interviewed. The findings from the research describes in detail the case study of experience of women leaders in construction programs in creating change, empowering young leaders for the future of construction workforce, gaining an understanding of ways to sustain and improve their existence in the workforce.