• Even the skilled women in the sector are still underrepresented and frustrated by many challenges that come with the male-dominated industry.
• “Female engineers registered by the Engineer’s Board of Kenya are 7.3% , female contractors registered in Kenya are at 15.5% and female quantity surveyors registered are at 17%,” the survey found.
The construction industry is a highly male-dominated industry globally that sees a small number of women penetrate.
The fast-growing sector is said to only comprise three per cent of women despite the many opportunities it has available.
This is according to a survey by Dalberg in partnership with the International Development Research Center (IDRC) and Buildher.
“Today, the industry is estimated to be valued at 4.4 billion dollars and is growing at a rate of about 7 per cent annually. Yet, women only comprise 3 per cent of construction artisans in Kenya,” said the report.
Maureen Gitata of Dalberg presented the survey report during a webinar on Advancing Women’s Participation in Kenya’s Construction Industry on Wednesday.
Gitata said that the Kenyan industry has a high demand for housing at the moment yet the labour force falls short of skilled labour.
“Due to high levels of population growth, demand for affordable housing is high, growing at a rate of 200,000 units per year. However, the existing construction labour force can only supply 50,000 a year,” she said.
Despite this need, she said women looking for work in the sector barely get a chance to get employed and thrive in the industry.
She said that the survey was conducted between September 2021 and January 2022, interviewing over 117 women working in construction across the country.
It found that over 80 per cent of women working in construction are unskilled, joining the sector because they wish to earn a living and not because they are passionate about the job.
However, the skilled women in the sector are still under-represented and frustrated by many challenges that come with the male-dominated industry.
“Female engineers registered by the Engineer’s Board of Kenya are 7.3 per cent, female contractors registered in Kenya are at 15.5 per cent and female quantity surveyors registered are at 17 per cent,” the survey found.
Challenges such as gender stereotypes bias are still rife in the sector with women subjected to a gender bias when applying for jobs.
“Up to 64 per cent of skilled women and 79 per cent of unskilled women in construction feel discriminated against when being recruited as appearance is often the first ‘screener’ to employment. Men’s superior strength is often considered,” the survey said.
Sexual harassment was also a big barrier to women in construction, the survey found.
“Some reported a hostile work environment when they rejected advances from some male colleagues, especially male foremen and supervisors, either in exchange for a job or paid sex work in lieu of construction work,” the survey said.
The survey recommended that employers in Construction work towards eliminating these barriers so that more women can be able to contribute to the labour force.
“Encourage construction project managers and supervisors to engage with and check in on casual women staff more frequently, to understand their experiences and ensure that instances of harassment are prevented, mitigated or actioned on when reported”
“Enforce disciplinary measures and penalties for confirmed offenders as outlined in the company policy. This could include wage penalties, firing, and license suspension,” it added.
They also recommended for institutions encourage girls to take up STEM courses early on in primary and secondary schools to help bridge the gender gap that exists in the industry.