Empowered pathways: lifecycle approach attracts and retains women in construction

Published on the 26 February 2026

Construction is our most male-dominated industry; women represent just 13% of its workforce. Photo: Adobe Stock images.

Engaging young women from career consideration to mentored leadership supports long-term industry impact.

More than 50 students participated in a robotics coding challenge to save humanity from a fictional zombie invasion, as part of the UNSW Women in Construction project.

Students from primary and high schools in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria each developed a game where humanoids build infrastructure to shield against the threat of the undead.

Participants and their families attended an awards ceremony at UNSW Sydney where they heard from experts in robotics and a women-in-construction panel. Students toured a simulated construction site and operated a virtual digger via a virtual reality program.

“The challenge, a partnership with MRT Robotics, prepares students for future careers and societal changes, and promotes critical and creative thinking within construction,” says project co-lead Professor Riza Yosia Sunindijo from UNSW’s School of Built Environment. “It’s part of a suite of engagements to change people’s perceptions of the industry.”

The Women in Construction project aims to attract, retain and empower women in construction. It’s funded by the Australian Government’s Women’s Leadership and Development Program from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s Office for Women.

The project received the 2024 Research, Development and Technology High Commendation Award from the Australian Institute of Building (AIB) for its life cycle approach and is shortlisted for the 2025 Access, Diversity and Inclusion Award at the QS Reimagine Education Awards. Its engagements span from career consideration to mentoring in leadership to foster long-term industry impact.

More than 6000 young women have attended more than 400 workshops to date exploring industry processes, such as design, procurement, people management, work health and safety, and construction. The workshops target female primary- and high-school students, as well as parents and career advisors to raise awareness of career opportunities within the sector.

“The robotics coding challenge is set to run again with more than 200 students tasked with building structures to withstand cyclones, floods, wildfires, droughts or other natural disasters,” A/Prof. Sunindijo says.

“There’s a broad range of engagements. In another workshop, students built a shed together over five days, then it was donated to the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council.”

Students have also attended careers forums, panel discussions and presentations; visited industry-partner sites; and engaged in networking events.

“Construction is the third largest industry in Australia in terms of its contribution to our GDP [gross domestic product], with 1.35 million Australians employed in construction in 2025,” says the expert in human resource management and health and safety in construction.

“However, it is also the most male-dominated sector with women representing 13% of its workforce, a decline from 17% in 2006.”

Many efforts have been made to address the industry’s gender imbalance: enabling more flexible work hours; providing childcare facilities; reducing pay gaps; but these have not been effective enough, says project lead Associate Professor Cynthia Wang.

“Only 3% of chief executive officers in the construction industry are women, and about 13% at management levels,” says A/Prof. Wang, who has extensive expertise in adopting digital technologies in improving social and environmental sustainability in construction.

“The resulting labour and talent shortage increases its cost, making it increasingly difficult to deliver critical facilities and infrastructure, for example, to address the contemporary housing crisis.”

Technology is transforming construction, she says. “The association of construction with physical labour – laying bricks, pouring concrete – is outdated. Robotics, AI, machine-learning are all influencing the industry now. It’s an exciting time.

“Our project demonstrates new pathways for women to use their talents, traditionally associated with other disciplines, such as contract administration (law), quantity surveying and cost estimation (accounting), technology in construction (engineering), as well as roles in sustainability, project management and work, health and safety.

“Students with all different interests can build strong careers in construction.”

Innovative life-cycle approach sustains career-long participation

The project’s life-cycle approach aims to generate a sustained increase in women’s participation in construction, including their representation in leadership roles.

Project partnerships with leading construction bodies and companies, including ADCO, the Australian Institute of Building (AIB), BESIX Watpac, Chandolin Construction, Lendlease, Mirvac, Multiplex, and WT Partnership, help embed women within the industry.

“We’ve provided 18 targeted tertiary scholarships and more than 40 internship subsidies to provide tangible support for women entering the industry,” says A/Prof. Sunindijo.

The project supports students’ participation in 40-day internships to gain invaluable practical experience. “This is very effective for small businesses in particular; these are not subject to the government’s gender equity requirements,” he says.

“Our internship subsidies effectively create a no-risk sponsored probation period after which companies may choose to make formal employment offers.”

The project has also connected 70 female students through early-career mentorship programs with industry professional bodies and construction companies to support their transition into the industry. This helps expand their networks and their understanding of industry norms and practices.

More than 6000 female students have attended more than 400 workshops through the project. Photo: Supplied.

Digital resources help promote career development and combat unconscious bias

The research team developed a series of digital resources to help women establish career development plans so they can continue to reach higher positions.

“Women with career ambitions are more resilient and more likely to take initiative and seek support and help,” says A/Prof. Wang. “We have produced 10 videos that showcase the diverse career options and opportunities available for women to develop successful careers in this industry.”

There is also a career development training fund to support eligible women working in the construction industry who have a genuine need to upskill to progress their careers. More than 70 women have benefited from this opportunity.

“Continuous mentorship and training maintain women’s competitiveness and support them to obtain leadership positions,” she says.

The project also addresses potential industry barriers by providing new complimentary training opportunities. Working in partnership with Cognicity, the researchers developed an unconscious bias and knowledge training module targeted at the construction industry.

“The training helps to promote a transparent and criteria-based recruitment and/or promotion process. These modules are made free for everyone in the construction industry to amplify impact,” says A/Prof. Sunindijo.

“We all have this unconscious bias and knowledge; it’s important to be aware that this bias can affect the way we make decisions, and that sometimes these decisions can disadvantage minority groups.”

Investigating how tech transformations might impact women’s participation in construction

The research team is investigating strategies and practical suggestions to help prepare women for the industry’s transformation through technologies.

“Digital transformation, or Construction 4.0 as we call it, is the converging of trends and technologies that promises to reshape the way that built environment assets are designed, constructed and operated,” says A/Prof. Wang.

“Our research has shown that when technology is more advanced, when we use more digital technology or smart machinery, then the industry is less labour dependent. This is changing the industry's image – its association with physical labour – and making it more female friendly.”

The project has sponsored PhD research across three diverse streams to empower women in construction: Aba Afful is examining the opportunities and challenges that come with Construction 4.0; Diya Yan is using machine-learning and language models to compare male and female career trajectories; and Jingya Chen is examining how human resources functions, such as recruitment, career development and incentives, can support women's career paths in construction.

These research outputs will contribute important evidence, alongside the project’s multi-faceted engagements, to help facilitate sustained growth in women in construction.

“Diversity is good for both project and organisational performance,” says A/Prof. Sunindijo. “Organisations that promote hypermasculinity and hyper-competitiveness have a negative impact on mental health.

“So if we can improve diversity across the construction industry, then this will improve mental health for men and women; it will foster a broad diversity of exciting professional opportunities for women; it will improve industry culture and our capability to meet critical infrastructure needs.”