Psychology Driven Outreach to Tackle Gender Imbalance in Construction

As part of their commitment to inclusion this contractor hosted a psychology undergraduate to focus a study on addressing the under-representation of women in the industry.

Working closely with their Social Impact Manager, the student led a 12-week research project to identify barriers and motivators influencing female participation in construction. Activities included staff interviews, survey development, and the application of psychological frameworks to generate practical, evidence-based recommendations. These recommendations have since become embedded in social impact outreach improving efforts to attract, recruit and retain more females into the industry.

The placement extended beyond the project site, with presentations giving visibility to and strengthening the many ‘non-traditional’ links between psychology and construction roles to large audiences including the Women in Civil Engineering Network and over 250 career advisors at the NISCA Conference.

The study inspired local school pupils, strengthening visibility of non-technical roles promoting literacy and communication. The study directly shaped the contractors outreach strategy, shaping messaging at major female-specific events, in the consideration of visuals and in the ‘take away’ information on work-life benefits and FAQs reflecting learnings and experiences of the industry by female staff.

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