An assessment of the needs of women-owned construction enterprises in South Africa for construction empowerment, development and sustainability (CODES)

Purpose of this paper: This paper reports on the findings of a needs assessment study of South African (SA) Women-Owned Enterprises in construction. The study was done in preparation for the rolling out of an empowerment initiative in South Africa. The study builds on the lessons learnt and recommendations from the ʻWomen-helping-Womenʼ study. Design/methodology/approach: Relevant literature was reviewed. A survey instrument was developed and professionally facilitated workshops, supervised by stakeholders, informed the needs assessment. Findings: Fair procurement, women friendly construction sites, a construction bank and relevant career-aligned training with mentoring will enable the respondents to transform their enterprises to be sustainable multi-skilled independent entities that are able to construct the infrastructure needed. Research limitations: Findings are based on views from respondents in SA registered with the Construction Industry development Board (CIDB) and also with legitimate e-mail addresses. Practical implications: Given the professionally facilitated workshops and stakeholder involvement in the instrument developed from start to finish the findings of the study proved to be reliable and valid and could be used for similar interventions. Value of paper: Knowledge sharing for auctioning by government, the building industry, development finance institutions and women associations on the critical skills shortage, gender equity and empowerment added value