Experiences of women and men studying Built Environment in Scottish Universities 2008

Sharapov, Kiril

Tizard, Jenny

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Research BriefingNo.10The UK Resource Centre for Women inScience, Engineering and Technology,recommends this research carried outby Dr Kiril Sharapov and Jenny Tizard ofNapier University.Construction is an industry where womenremain under-represented in both manualand managerial positions: they make upabout 10% of total employment, 2% ofmanual and 32% of non-manualemployment, mostly administrative andsupport (ConstructionSkills, 2005).Women are also under-represented onbuilt environment degree programmes. InScottish universities in 2006-07 womenmade up only 30% of undergraduatestudents of architecture, building andplanning, and 12% of students ofengineering and technology (ScottishGovernment, 2008).This briefing is based on a studyundertaken by the Scottish ResourceCentre for Women in Science, Engineeringand Technology. The research wascommissioned by ConstructionSkills andtheir Equality Adviser in Scotland helpedsteer it. The study explored factorsaffecting the progression ofundergraduates at five Scottish universitiesfrom built environment programmes intothe construction industry. The mainsources of data were (a) an online surveyof students, (b) a survey of employersrepresenting the diversity of theconstruction sector in Scotland, and (c)interviews with employers. The interviewsand surveys were conducted in early 2008.Getting In, Getting On in ConstructionExperiences of women and men studying Built Environmentin Scottish Universities 2008What influences studentsto join the sector?Family and friends: Families andfriends play an important role inencouraging or discouraging studentsin their career decisions. Moststudents perceived their influence tobe far more significant than that ofschoolteachers or career advisors.About 40% of male students, andslightly fewer female students,indicated that having a family memberworking in construction was a positiveinfluence. Promoting careers in thesector to families, as well as potentialrecruits, is likely to influence morepeople to consider working inconstruction.Career advice: Only half ofrespondents in this study found thecareer advice they received at schoolsand colleges to be accurate andrealistic. There is scope forimprovement in career advice. Theissue of potential divergence betweencareer advice received at school andfamily/peer advice received at homeneeds further research.Previous experience: Positive pre-university experiences of theconstruction sector can often be acatalyst for a decision to join auniversity programme. Although themajority of respondents in this studywere under 25, about half of themhad previous experience of workingwithin the sector. This experience,however, may be one of the ‘channels’through which negative behaviouralpractices of the industry find their wayinto university classrooms andlaboratories (see Gale 1994).Practical experience: utility,expectations and realityMost students perceived practicalexperience to be essential to theirpost-university employment andexpected to gain such experienceduring their time on a studyprogramme. However, only 75% offemale students and 57% of malestudents gained such experience. Themajority of students who took up awork placement found it beneficial. ItResearch FindingsGender: does it matter?Most (85%) of the employers takingpart in the study agreed that womenprovide a different perspective to thebuilt environment sector. Only 8% ofthe employers said that they feltwomen needed to follow male careerpatterns, though 54% said thatwomen needed special skills tosucceed.About half of first year femalestudents thought that women mustfollow what could be described as‘male career patterns’ (no careerbreaks and long hours of work) tosucceed in a built environment career.Some male students suggested thatwomen needed to accept genderbased discrimination and act like ‘oneof the boys.Most female students tended to‘idealise’ the role of qualifications andpersonal determination in pursuing asuccessful career in built environment.It may be that gender-based inequalityand stereotypes are so embedded thatsome students are unwilling to admitto encountering prejudice on accountof their gender. Instead, they identifyother factors, which they perceive asgender-neutral, for example, lack ofrole models or lack of establishedcareer patterns for women.Inequality and discrimination can beaccepted in two ways: actively, whererecognition of gender-based inequalitytranslates into daily practices andbehaviour, and passively, wheregender-based inequality is notendorsed or agreed to but, at thesame time, is not actively challengedor resisted.Diversity training has the potentialto address entrenched genderstereotypes, which often translateinto gender-baseddiscriminationin workplace.is worth noting that around 10% ofstudents were disappointed anddiscouraged by their experience of theindustry whilst on a work placement.Work-related experience makesstudents more confident and moreemployable. Increasing numbers ofemployers tend to recruit studentswho have carried out a workplacement. Universities and employersneed to make sure that a variety ofwork experience options are availableand are taken up. They are especiallyimportant for women, who are lesslikely to have relevant experience priorto studying.My work experience was invaluable.Even in a small practice in a smalltown where some would think thereis limited experience to be gained(Final year female student)Graduate training schemes ensure thatnew graduates quickly becomeproductive and effective teammembers. Students were keen to entersuch schemes. However, employers inthis study knew little about them andthought they would be expensiveto run.University experiencesThe majority of female studentsdescribed the atmosphere in theirdepartments as neutral or women-friendly. However, about a quarter offinal year female students reportedfeeling isolated in male-dominatedgroup settings and felt under pressureto prove themselves in everydaysituations.Lecturers and staff are veryencouraging but some of the fellowmale students are condescending attimes especially in group work(Final year female student)Sometimes I am in a class on myown. Very few men will talk to youuntil they are used to you(Final year female student)Women cannot afford to make anymistakes as it'll be immediatelyobvious. Women need to be pushyand strong to succeed in what isessentially a male dominated industry(Final year female student)Future careers: what dostudents want to do and dothey feel confident enoughto do it?The majority of students felt confidentabout their decision for a career inconstruction. The exceptions werefemale students in their first year,most of whom were uncertain abouttheir choice. By the final year thefemale students displayed the samelevel of confidence in career choice asthe male students.Most students were confident (inJanuary 2008) about their chances offinding employment after graduation.However not all intended to look forjobs in construction; governmentsurveys suggest that up to 15-20% offinal year students decide againstentering the sector (Prospects, 2007).This study suggests some may perceivethe culture as unwelcoming, macho,gender-biased, requiring long hoursand paying low wages. Their rejectionof the culture might explain the initial‘leak’ in the pipeline of qualifiedprofessionals where the number ofgraduates from built environmentprogrammes at Scottish universitiesdoes not translate into the number ofwomen and men employed inmanagerial and professional positionswithin the industry.I think the lack of women in theconstruction industry is mainly due toa cultural problem. There are nofemale role models (or few that onehears about) and most schools do notencourage potentially good femaleengineers to do maths, physics etc.The first step to change is toencourage women to take subjectswhich are more untraditional inschools. Once you're in university, youknow what you're in for - that workingwill be a challenge due to your genderso you're more prepared to accept it.The continent encourages womenmore than in the UK. We're doingsomething wrong(Final year female student)Somewhat unexpectedly, high levels ofconfidence among students abouttheir career choice and employabilitydid not translate into high levels ofconfidence about the relevance of theskills they developed to industry’scurrent employment needs. More thanhalf of final year students were eitherunsure or did not think that theirprogrammes equipped them with theright mix of skills and knowledge.Students indicated a range of concernsabout working in the builtenvironment. There was a noticeabledifference in the perception ofpotential difficulties by first and finalyear, and male and female students.Final year female students raised moreconcerns than first year femalestudents about negative aspects ofworking in construction. Safety wasthe only exception to this - the leastimportant area of concern for femalestudents. Overall, final year femalestudents were most concerned aboutlong hours and low pay, followed by‘inflexibility’, ‘sidelining’ and‘parenthood’.By contrast, final year male studentsidentified fewer concerns than theirfirst year male counterparts. ‘Machoculture’ was the least concern for finalyear male students, followed by poorworking environment and parenthood.Overall, final year male students weremost concerned about ‘long hours’,followed by ‘low pay’ and ‘no scopefor creativity’.Students were asked what attractedthem to working in the builtenvironment. There were cleardifferences in the responses of firstand final year female students. Firstyear students were more positive,particularly about ‘working as a team’,‘career progression opportunities’ and‘pay and benefits’. Final year malestudents were more positive aboutworking in the sector than first yearmale students.It would appear that the 4-yearengagement with the constructionculture which takes place withinuniversity departments and workplacement had tended to decrease theattractiveness of the sector to femalestudents and increase its attractivenessto male students.At the time of the study, employersparticipating in the study reportedproblems in recruiting managers,professionals and craft workers. Themajority of companies (77%) said theywere willing to support positive actionevents targeting women and girls.What did students thinkshould be done?Students were asked for suggestionsof what could be done by employers,universities and professionalorganisations to encourage students to‘get in, get on and stay on’ within thebuilt environment sector. Theresounding recommendation fromstudents is that employers anduniversities should work in closerpartnership, supporting placementsand work based learning projects.Research FindingsThe full research report is published by Napier University and can be downloaded fromwww.napier.ac.uk/src/reportsUK Resource Centre for Women in Science,Engineering and TechnologyListerhills Park of Science and Commerce40 – 42 Campus RoadBradford,BD7 1HRTel: 01274 436485Fax: 01274 436471Email: info@ukrc4setwomen.orgWebsite: www.ukrc4setwomen.orgPublished by UK Resource Centre in January 2009Briefing based on a study by Dr Kiril Sharapovand Jenny TizardScottish Resource Centre for Women in Science,Engineering and TechnologyNapier University42 Colinton RoadEdinburghEH10 5BTTel: 0131 455 5107Email: src@napier.ac.ukWebsite: www.napier.ac.uk/srcRecommendations from the Research1. Women are less likely to have experience of working in the sector than men, and are more likely to havediscouraging influences. Initiatives such as ‘Scottish Young Women in Construction Conference’ and‘Construction Ambassador’ programmes are important in building bridges to construction careersfor women.2. Employers and universities should share best practice in supporting student placements and workexperience. Work placements are especially important for women students.3. Graduate training schemes for small and large companies should be supported. ‘Inspire Scholarships’, oneof the construction industry’s leading scholarship schemes, is an example of an initiative focusing onbringing the brightest and best graduates into the industry.4. Universities and employers should consider how new entrants can be encouraged through contact withsuccessful role models. Networks for women can reduce isolation and build contact with professionals.‘Women In Property’ provides a network for graduates and women professionals. ‘Connect’ at NapierUniversity is an example of a student peer support network.5. Equality and diversity training can play an important role in challenging attitudes and influencing workplaceculture. ‘ConstructionSkills’ provides support for training training in Scotland through their Equality Adviser,Jacqueline Kerr email jacqueline.kerr@cskills.orgReferencesConstructionSkills (2005). Sector Skills Agreement for Construction - Scotland 2005. Retrieved June 15,2008 from www.constructionskills.net/pdf/ourchallenges/ssa/scotlandssa.pdfGale, A. (1994). Women in Non-traditional Occupations: The Construction Industry.Women in Management Re-view, 9 (2), 3-14Prospects (2007). What do graduates do? 2007. Retrieved June 15, 2008 fromwww.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/What_do_graduates_do__2007/p!eaLidblScottish Government (2008). Students in Higher Education at Scottish Institutions 2006-07. StatisticsPublication Notice, Lifelong Learning Series. Retrieved June 15, 2008 fromwww.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2008/03/18170156

Research Briefing No.10: Getting In, Getting On in Construction Experiences of women and men studying Built Environment in Scottish Universities (2008)

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Research Briefing No.10: Getting In, Getting On in Construction Experiences of women and men studying Built Environment in Scottish Universities (2008)

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